Like Brothers
by Photophobic
Summary: Just because they shared their past did not mean they shared their future. Hitsugaya found out that it sucks to remember part of your past. It sucks even worse to find out your older brother is an Arrancar. A should-be-dead Arrancar named Ulquiorra.
1. Teal Eyes and Tear Streaks

**Okay, first, I'm going to say that this is going to be a very weird fic. Second, I don't care if you flame me. Knock yourselves out. Third, I do not own Bleach. This should be obvious as I do not speak a lick of Japanese. (Yes, that was the disclaimer, people).**

...

**1**

**Teal Eyes and Tear Streaks**

"_Are you scared…girl?"_

"_I'm not scared."_

"_Kill me now or it will never be over."_

"_Even in the end, you never do what I want."_

_Slap!_

"_I'll give you a chance to say goodbye to one person."_

"_Kurosaki!"_

"_Show us everything you've experienced."_

"_Ulquiorra Schiffer."_

"_My name?"_

"_I'm…a what?"_

"_Aaaaaaaaaah!"_

_Pain, pain, pain._

"_No! I don't want to hurt him! "_

"_Help!"_

_Smash!_

"_I'll never leave you, little brother. I promise on my heart."_

...

Falling. Everything was dark and confused. Old memories resurfaced. They stung like needles. Unlike Shinigami, Hollows' memories did not leave them. They were what caused them to go insane and become mutilated. Even an Arrancar had no hopes of completely erasing the events of the past from the mind. Now, in true death, they were all returned to him full force.

He waited to be torn to pieces; have the particles of his retched soul thrown about so that they may have been recycled into something purer. Yet, he kept falling.

Faces became clearer, sharper. People he used to know…and love. A family that was his before his life was claimed by fate and twisted agonizingly. This free-falling soul had no self control; no way to stop the tears from leaking onto his face.

Why did it hurt so much?

He wanted it to stop.

Falling, falling, falling again.

Something within him stirred. The feeling of nothingness ebbed away, pushed by a new, warm feeling. He'd only felt it once in his existence as a Hollow. Right before he faded into ashes.

The heart.

_His_ heart.

...

Mushy goodbyes were not his forte. That said, Hitsugaya was currently being tortured. After the battle in Hueco Mundo, he'd wanted to go straight back to Soul Society. But, of course, Matsumoto had _insisted_ on saying goodbye to Orihime. And others.

At this point, he figured he was just lucky that everyone remembered not to hug him.

"Oh, I'll miss you so much, Rangiku!"

"I'll miss you too, Orihime!"

He cringed. Silently, he shifted his eyes out the window. Rain was falling steadily. How appropriate. Through the torrent, he noticed a Hell Butterfly struggling to fly. He opened the window so that it may enter. The creature graciously landed on his finger and delivered its message.

"Matsumoto," Hitsugaya called roughly. "Time to leave. There is unusual spirit activity in a nearby town."

His lieutenant nodded, suddenly serious. Without another word, the two of them darted out into the rain and the unknown.

The voyage there wasn't very pleasant and Hitugaya did not appreciate being soaked. As a captain, he could not complain. However, there was something else more troubling. The closer they got to the given coordinates, the more intense the odd sensation in the pit of his stomach became. He did not often get nervous, but something about this was making him edgy.

He found out why when he caught sight of something in the distance. There was an odd glow coming from where they were supposed to be headed. Around them, old buildings cropped up. A jolt of recognition zapped through Hitsugaya. He'd seen a place just like this before in a dream.

Shinigami did not remember things from before they died. That was the rule. However, there were always exceptions to rules. He'd seen it before in Rukongai. There were souls who remembered snippets of their lives or sometimes people they wanted to find. The longer you were in Soul Society, the more of your memory you lost. By the time Shinigami became Shinigami, almost everything was gone.

When he was younger, Hitsugaya had odd dreams. A teacher at the academy had told him that sometimes memories were dredged up from the subconscious because your soul clung to them so tightly. They were usually purposes you had been devoted to or even promises.

Hitsugaya never told that teacher what the dream was. Still, he could remember it clearly. It was always a person. They'd be in a small town, just like this one, only when it had seen better days. There was snow all around. He was young and looked very different from how he did now. With him was always an elder boy who appeared much like he did. They had the same color eyes. In his dream, Hitsugaya knew this to be his brother.

"_Ready to go, Shiro?" he'd ask._

_Toshiro would nod and run to grab his older brother's hand. They'd stop by the side of an unpaved road. That's when things would go bad. Something slid on the ice and slammed into his brother. Then there was blood. Lots of blood everywhere._

"_Katashi!" Toshiro would scream. "Help! Someone!"_

_The younger would race to the older boy. He would barely be breathing._

"_Katashi," Toshiro would mutter. "You're going to be okay, right?"_

_Katashi opened his mouth to speak, but at that moment, his eyes went dull and his head fell to the side._

_Toshiro would cry, "Come back."_

_Then, his brother's voice would say from behind him, "I'll never leave you, little brother. I promise on my heart."_

That's when Hitsugaya would wake up. The face would still be burned into his vision. A pale face with a mop of dark, bloody hair clinging to it. Teal eyes and tear streaks.

Hitsugaya tried to shake the image from his mind and focus on their assignment. He and Matsumoto jumped down to the source of the spiritual light. In it, he could see the outline of a person. It seemed incomplete, but was forming very fast. Super regeneration. It was amazing.

The light began to dim as the figure fully formed. It was decidedly male and his eyes were open. The leftover light concentrated into a small sphere and embedded itself in a hole near the base of the being's neck. A final bright flash and the hole sealed. Defensively, the white-haired Shinigami edged closer. He saw a pale face and dark hair.

Teal eyes and tear streaks.

...

**Please do not tell me "Their eyes aren't the same at all!" or "Ulquiorra's eyes are green!" I am well aware of that. But at certain moments in the series, Ulquiorra's eyes and Hitsugaya's eyes look **_**almost**_** the same color. So just roll with it for now. I'll explain more later.**


	2. Awakenings

**Disclaimer: Don't own, so don't ask.**

...

**2**

**Awakenings**

Ulquiorra's head hurt fiercely. Paralyzed, he lay there with his eyes closed. His whole body felt cold. He wasn't sure, but he thought there was something hard under him. Was this some new stage of death? If it was, he didn't know how much longer he'd be able to take it, even as patient as he was. Vaguely, he wondered if the dead could go insane.

An icy pain jabbed into him, worse than surrounding coldness. Involuntarily, he tried to gasp for breath, but failed. The coldness spread and his muscles twitched. He felt delirious as he weaved in and out of consciousness. Nothing was real or clear for what must have been eternity.

_Wake up_, he wanted to beg. _Let this end._

...

"Isn't that one of the Espada?" Matsumoto wondered in astonishment, observing as the eyes closed.

Slowly, Hitsugaya bent down, keeping watch for any telltale movement. He choked back the feeling of recognition, deciding the comparison too distant. Instead, he examined the spot where the light had entered. Blank. Yet, the creature still wore half of a horned helmet.

"Yes, I believe it was one of the Espada," the captain answered. He pulled his sword from its sheath and held it over the creature's chest.

"You're going to kill it?" Matsumoto asked.

"Of course I am," he snapped. Still, when it came time to swing down the sword, he hesitated.

"Captain?"

Pulling Hyorinmaru away, Hitsugaya picked up his soul pager instead. Running a hand through his hair, he contacted Seretei.

"Yes, I've found the source of the abnormal spiritual energy….It appears to be a regenerated Arrancar. Do you want me to kill it?...I'm not sure...Understood." He hung up the phone and glanced toward the limp creature, then back to his lieutenant. "They want us to wait until someone can come to examine it."

Matsumoto gave her captain an odd look. Something was off. She watched as he looked down at the Arrancar and studied it carefully, like he was looking for something.

She'd have to keep an eye on this.

...

"Interesting," a member of the research division commented. "This Arrancar is missing its Hollow hole. Even more interesting, I believe this is the fourth Espada. He's supposed to be gone." The member ran his hand along the half-helmet on the Espada's head. Several cracks lined it. "Hm…I believe my captain will want to see this."

Just then, the Arrancar twitched. Everyone moved into the defensive, waiting for an attack that never came. After a moment, Hitsugaya nudged it with his sword. Its eyelids fluttered, but refused to open.

"I'll call for official transportation," the Shinigami from the research division decided. "Wouldn't want that thing breaking loose on our way to Soul Society."

...

Ulquiorra kept struggling against the darkness and cold. Finally, something new greeted him. It was warm and solid. Then, the warmness went away and something put pressure on his arm. This put everything into sharp focus, jolting his senses awake. On reflex, his green-blue eyes flew open and his muscles struggled against whatever was trying to hold him down. It was an animalistic reaction, he knew, but did not care.

Spinning around and backing away, he observed the shocked faces of Shinigami all staring straight at him. He forced his face into an emotionless mask. His heightened senses picked up everything, including one of the Shinigami whispering, "His reiatsu…it's low for an Espada."

Not taking his eyes off of any of them, he continued to back away. There was a forest directly behind him. He might be able to escape.

"Where do you think you're going?" a low voice asked from behind, accompanied by a cold blade at his neck. It made Ulquiorra painfully aware that the Shinigami had managed to swipe his own sword from him while he was unconscious.

Turning his head slowly, Ulquiorra calmly replied, "That is none of your business."

Hitsugaya pressed the blade closer to the Arrancar's neck. "What's your name?"

Ulquiorra stayed silent. The sword pushed farther. "There is no reason for you to know."

"Is there a reason for you not to tell me?"

"None."

"Then say it."

Silence. Making a rash decision, Ulquiorra rotated to face the young captain. For a second, shock registered in him. His eyes looked just like…

More memories pounded into his skull.

Hitsugaya noticed how the Espada twitched, his hand balling into a fist. In response, he pushed the blade even closer, letting a trickle of blood drip down Ulquiorra's neck.

In the background, the Shinigami's breaths were all held. The thick tension in the air was signal enough to stay still and not interfere. This was obviously a very delicate situation.

Eyes locked, the two stayed absolutely still. While Ulquiorra was fighting a mental battle, Hitsugaya was fighting one himself.

_Do not kill him,_ Hyorinmaru whispered to him. _You will regret it later._

The tenth squad captain slid his blade away from Ulquiorra's neck and gently tapped the skeletal helmet. A few pieces of bone crumbled away. The Arrancar tried to remain calm while this was happening.

"You were supposed to be dead, last time I checked," Hitsugaya growled.

"Technically, both of us are dead," Ulquiorra retorted in monotone.

The sword went back to Ulquiorra's throat. "Can you explain how you regenerated from nothing?"

"Not if _I_ do not know, either."

As their staring contest continued, a member of the Shinigami in the back pulled out a soul pager and contacted Rukia who would, no doubt, be with Ichigo.

"What are you doing?" Matsumoto whispered.

"Getting a second opinion," the other woman muttered.

...

Ichigo cursed to himself as he bounded across town in Shinigami uniform. They whole family plus Rukia were just about to sit down for dinner when an "urgent" call forced Ichigo to go out of town. The reason for it was what frustrated him. Some group of kooky Shinigami over there were claiming that "the fourth Espada" had somehow come back to life. Ichigo had seen Ulquiorra die with his own eyes. In fact, he'd killed him with his own _hands_, even if he wasn't in complete control at that moment.

The scene played for him again. It was even worse every time he had to watch Orihime try to reach out for the fading creature only for him to ripped away by the wind. And after making such a big, dramatic scene about dying, he had the nerve to show up again? That was, if this really _was_ Ulquiorra and not some copy cat.

Finally, he spotted the scene. Restraining a growl, he gave one last mighty leap and thudded down onto the earth. The action gathered the attention of everyone present. Including Hitsugaya and Ulquiorra, although they refused to break their current engagement.

"So, what's the big commotion about?" the substitute Shinigami asked harshly.

Hitsugaya finally let his eyes stray to the interruption, not looking happy about it. Ichigo failed to be concerned about the murderous glare the captain was giving him, because he was preoccupied with the other figure. With a controlled, dramatic pace, Ulquiorra turned his head to fully face Ichigo. The carrot-top's eyes widened considerably.

"Ulquiorra?" he barely gasped out.

The Arrancar only locked eyes with Ichigo for a second before promptly disappearing using an unexpected sonido. Hitsugaya looked livid.

"Kurosaki," he growled. "Why are you here?"

The stunned Ichigo quickly regained his composure. "Well, duh. 'Cause someone called me here. I would have been ten times happier just sitting at home."

The captain's eyes then shifted their glare toward the group, each looking paralyzed and trying to seem as innocent as possible. His eyes narrowed at them all in warning before turning back to Ichigo.

"Go home, Kurosaki. You're not needed here."

"Not until I get some answers," Ichigo protested. "How the h- did Ulquiorra get here?"

"That is a mystery to everyone. We know next to nothing besides the fact that he is missing his Hollow hole."

Ichigo looked surprised and then his eyes went even wider. "Oh, crap." He disappeared into the sky without warning.

Hitsugaya growled. "That idiot."


	3. Flashbacks

**Disclaimer: I don't even know **_**why**_** the show is **_**called**_** Bleach. Therefore, I do not own it.**

...

**3**

**Flashbacks**

The knocking on the door was nothing if not hasty. It seemed so urgent that Orihime rushed to open it, thinking it might be an emergency. What she found was Ichigo, in his Shinigami form, panting and wide eyed.

"Ichigo?" she wondered.

He scanned the area quickly and sighed in relief.

"Ichigo, what's going on?" Orihime asked.

Ichigo tried to think of the best way to put their situation without actually telling Orihime _who_ was there. He saw how she reached out to that guy in Hueco Mundo. The look in her eyes. If she knew Ulquiorra was back, he was afraid that instead of _avoiding_ him, she might actually go _looking_ for him.

"There's…_someone_ on the loose and I was making sure he wasn't here. He's not, but you have to be careful."

That was all the information Ichigo gave before hopping away.

"Ichigo!" Orihime called after him. "Who?"

She was left unanswered.

...

Ulquiorra found it favorable that normal humans could not see him. While he tried to stay out of towns, it was impossible for him to steer clear of every single living being. It was almost painful how dull his senses were. He blamed it on fatigue. Dying and being regenerated from nothing was tiring.

Finally, he decided he was far enough away to stop. He perched on a thick tree branch. The realization that he was feeling pain finally kicked in. He placed his hand over his collar, expecting it to give way because of the empty space behind it. It didn't.

Ulquiorra did not get surprised very often and he showed it even less. This was one of those rare occasions where both of those things happened. Slowly, he pulled down the zipper on his collar and found flat, bare skin.

If he wasn't so in control of his emotions, he would have fallen off the branch.

His fingers felt the pale skin that was suddenly so _solid_. His Hollow Hole was really gone. Unreal. Impossible. But true.

He felt for his helmet, satisfied when he felt the bone-hard surface. However, there were some cracks that were definitely not there before. A Hollow's mask was extremely strong, but he found that some of the material crumbled away under his touch.

Wanting some higher confirmation, the Arrancar went in search of a reflective surface. Stubbornly, he moved inward to a near-by town after coming up empty in the forest. He did not like the feeling he got when he ventured deeper into the town and was almost glad when he found a small closed-down shop with clean showcase windows. The area was unpopulated, which also calmed his nerves. So, deciding it was time to get it over with, he looked to the reflective window.

And saw a different face staring back at him.

Something must have seriously messed with his mind because Ulquiorra stumbled backward at the revelation. It took a few seconds to convince himself to look again. This time, his image appeared normal minus his missing Hollow Hole and the cracks in his helmet. Same pale skin and face markings.

Still, he found it disturbing when he recognized the face he had seen before, for it was his face. At least, it used to be his face back before his hollowfication. With that face came a name and more painful memories than he could bear.

He stalked away from the place, his coat trailing behind him. His mind refused to rid itself of the thoughts, one voicing itself above the rest.

_Katashi._

_Katashi._

_Katashi Hitsugaya._

...

"Captain?" Rangiku Matsumoto asked tentatively.

"Hm?" Toshiro Hitsugaya responded concomitantly.

"You were acting very oddly," she stated. "With the Espada."

"You perspective must be skewed," he said. "Probably all the sake."

She didn't like the way her captain denounced her so quickly. She huffed a little and crossed her arms. He wouldn't even look at her, just kept staring at the spot where the creature vanished. "_Captain…_"

He was saved by his soul pager going off. "Yes?...I understand. Goodbye."

He finally turned, the dead look in his eyes alerting his subordinate. "We're staying." He walked straight past her, not sparing a glance. Matsumoto frowned.

...

That night, Ichigo lay in bed, staring at his ceiling. Ulquiorra should have been _dead._ Dead and gone. But that was definitely him. Closing his eyes, Ichigo tried to bring back images from that day. He thought back to the moment when he and Ulquiorra locked eyes for just that split second. It was like nothing had changed and everything had changed. Life was just so complicated.

Ichigo was distracted out of his thoughts by his door creaking open. He turned his head to see Rukia standing in the doorway. She quietly walked in.

"I don't like that look," she stated.

He blinked. "What look?"

The response was a smack to the face. "_That_ look, you idiot!"

He sat bolt upright. "D-nit, Rukia! I was just thinking!"

"Since when does Ichigo Kurosaki _think_?" She scowled at him.

He flopped back down onto the bed. "Ulquiorra should be dead."

"I guess you didn't do a very good job of killing him, then. What are you so afraid of, Ichigo?"

When he didn't say anything, she sighed and stood up, closing the door softly behind her.

"Ichigo."

...

Matsumoto couldn't get to sleep that night. Orihime had been nice enough to let them stay a little longer and while it was comforting to know that the girl was close by, it did nothing to stop her from thinking of her captain. He was right next to her, frown as evident in sleep as it was when he was awake. Judging from the sudden chill in their area, he was not having very happy dreams. It reminded her a bit of when she'd met him. He was younger back then and not very polite at all, but she sensed his reiatsu and tracked him down. She'd found him asleep right by his Granny (who he nearly froze to death with his ice abilities). The way he looked then was very similar to the way he looked now.

Hitsugaya turned onto his side, pulling the blanket a bit closer. Although Matsumoto knew it was way out of line, she sat up and gently stroked the white tufts that spiked up all over his head. She felt like a mother or an older sister when she did this, but it always made him relax. This time was no different.

If she had done this while he was awake, she would have a very angry captain on her hands. Although, she still loved to ruffle his hair. Anyone close enough to him to get away with it did. He hated it because it made him feel like he was being treated like a child, but the thing was, no matter how smart and talented he was, he _was_ a child. That was only more evident in times like this.

She felt his steady breathing on her hand, continuing to run her fingers though the mess. He took a deeper breath and shifted to get closer to her. She smiled softly, wondering what was troubling him so much.

She was pondering this for quite a while, only faintly noticing how his breathing occasionally became uneven. With a final gasp, he bolted upright. She removed her hand before he had a chance to notice that it was there. Her concerned look was lost on him.

Hitsugaya tried to catch his breath, eyes wide open. His heart was throbbing so hard that it was difficult to hear anything else. His mind was still buzzing from the images that had just plagued him. He _knew_ they were memories now.

"Captain, you're shaking!" Matsumoto suddenly exclaimed.

It was true. He hated himself for it. He was a _captain!_ This was not the way he should be behaving.

"What's wrong?" Orihime asked, barging into the room unexpectedly. The sudden spike in reiatsu had given her quite the awakening.

"N-Nothing," Hitsugaya assured, forcing himself to stand. The stuttering was very uncharacteristic of him and had the two women worrying. He tried to shake it off. "I'm going out."

He shed his gigai and bolted out the door before either could even think of speaking. Outside, the air held only a slight chill as it whipped across his face. Despite his best attempts, his dream still played over and over again in his head.

_Toshiro opened a door, peaking in hesitantly. Katashi was sitting by the window, gazing out almost longingly. Upon hearing Toshiro, he'd turn and his eyes would look sad._

"_Toshiro? What's wrong?"_

_Toshiro would just stand there, almost shaking. This would worry Katashi to the point where he ran over to his younger brother and knelt so that they could see eye to eye._

"_Toshiro?"_

_Then, Toshiro would try to hold back sobs as he asked, "Katashi…you're not going to leave like father left, right?"_

_Katashi's eyes widened a little bit and he hugged Toshiro, who by that point had tears beginning to fall down his small face._

"_Of course not, Shiro. I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere."_

"_I don't want you to die, too," the little boy sobbed._

_Katashi picked Toshiro up and held him tightly. "Everyone dies eventually, Shiro, but I'm not leaving you anytime soon."_

"_Promise?"_

"_Promise."_

_Toshiro pulled back to look at his brother, but the next thing he knew, he was staring at a dead face in the middle of the road, red-stained snow surrounding it. Toshiro would be crying, screaming, "Katashi! Please wake up! You said you weren't going to die! You promised!"_

_Suddenly, he was transported to his brother's burial. It was simple and the only thing to mark his grave was a simple wooden stake with "Katashi Hitsugaya" carved roughly into it. A woman with long black hair tied back was weeping by it. Toshiro stood back, in total shock and horror._

_A man behind him was saying, "Toshiro, you have to be strong for your mother. After your father died, it was Katashi's turn to be the man of the house. It's your turn now."_

_Toshiro wiped the tears from his eyes and shed no more after that. He thought, "Katashi never cried. I have to be strong like him." But while he thought that, he would also think of the moment when his brother died, the tears trailing down Katashi's bloody face from eyes that looked so much like his own. It made it harder._

_For a second, Toshiro could have sworn he'd seen Katashi looking on from a few feet away, hands in his pockets and eyes dull. In the time it took Toshiro to blink, he would be gone._

_Everything faded to black and the series of memories became an actual nightmare. He was in a tunnel and Katashi was at the end, walking away from him. Toshiro raced after him, hand outstretched, screaming his older brother's name. But when the man finally turned around, his clothes became white and half of a horned helmet was on his head. The tear tracks that Toshiro would always associate with his death had been scarred onto his face in the form of two teal lines, one dripping down from each emotionless eye._

"_I swore on my heart to stay, but I no longer have a heart."_

"_Katashi!"_

The next thing Hitsugaya knew, he was back in Orihime's apartment with Matsumoto and Orihime trying to figure out what happened.

'_More nightmares, I see,'_ Hyorinmaru whispered to him.

Hitsugaya stayed silent.

'_It does no use to let your problems simmer. Things will only get worse.'_

'_What do you suggest I do, then?'_

'_Think.'_

Hyorinmaru withdrew his presence from Hitsugaya's mind, leaving him alone again. Well, that was _helpful._ He growled.

The world flew past him, most of the lights off because of the time. However, he did notice that Ichigo's light was on. He was about ready to give up and go back to Orihime's when he sensed a spike in reiatsu. Pulling to a stop in mid-air, he scanned his surroundings for the being.

"Goodbye, Little Shinigami Captain."


	4. Collision

**Disclaimer: It's called **_**fanfiction,**_** isn't it?**

...

**4**

**Collision**

Ulquiorra was stuck staring at the sky, unable to sleep. On the ground were a few bony chunks. They were the chips from his helmet. It was deteriorating fast. As it was, it already looked like he'd been in an intense fight. A particularly long crack had formed right by the base of his horn. How long would it be before his mask completely fell apart?

Luckily, he could feel his reiatsu slowly building back up. Pathetically slowly. As it was, he probably wasn't even at the level of a Shinigami captain. He might never be again. He had been so powerful because he'd been both Hollow and Shinigami. He was now missing his Hollow hole and there was no telling how much longer his mask would last. What would happen then?

The feeling of not knowing was disconcerting. He never would have predicted this. When an Arrancar died, they should just stop existing. That was it. Even his regenerative powers weren't enough to bring him back from nothing. So what did?

He tried to think back to dying. What was the last thing he'd done? Thought?

He'd been fighting Ichigo, already half obliterated, but then suddenly started to dissolve into ash. He'd asked the woman if she was scared and she'd said no. He reached out for her and she'd reached back. They never touched. He remembered thinking that he'd finally figured out what a heart was.

His eyes went wide, but he immediately rid himself of the thoughts. No, there must have been something else. Something as silly and human as a _heart_ wasn't enough to bring an _Arrancar_ back to life.

He was still trying to clear his head of the notion when he sensed a spike in reiatsu. He paid close attention, tracking it with his mind. It was growing closer and a few minutes later it was maybe a mile away. It also seemed familiar. It took him a second to realize that it was the same as that Shinigami captain's. The short one with white hair and eyes that looked like those of the little boy from his blurry human memories.

Ulquiorra began to wonder if the captain was looking for him. He did not seem very pleased when Ulquiorra escaped and he doubted Soul Society would be either. Now the boy was a mere half-mile from him. He could sonido and be over there in less than a second. Ulquiorra was thinking of hiding when he sensed another reiatsu appear. It was that of an Arrancar.

So, there were still some Arrancar left. This was obviously not an Espada. Ulquiorra didn't recognize it, either, so it must have been one of the Arrancar that lived beneath Las Noches. That was not who he was interested in, though. Ulquiorra wanted his sword back and the captain would know where it was. Being of higher power, even in this weakened state, Ulquiorra could demand that the Arrancar let him interrogate the captain first before he did away with him.

Plan settled, Ulquiorra used his sonido to arrive at the fight. The Arrancar he did not recognize was about half a second from driving his sword through the Shinigami. Luckily, Ulquiorra's reflexes were still toned and he was able to stop the blade with his hand before it touched even one white hair on the tiny captain's head. He found it irritating that the blade started to cut his skin when, normally, it wouldn't leave a scratch.

"Huh? Who the h- are you?" the lower Arrancar asked, surprising Ulquiorra.

"Ulquiorra Schiffer," he said, ignoring the Shinigami behind him.

The Arrancar gave him a good look-over and then started laughing maniacally. "_You?_ You are Ulquiorra Schiffer, former fourth Espada? Impossible! Even if Ulquiorra had survived, he would not have turned into someone so weak as you!"

"And who are you to call me weak?" Ulquiorra asked coldly.

The Arrancar gave him a huge, evil grin, suddenly releasing a large amount of reiatsu that he had been hiding. Ulquiorra hadn't expected it and hated himself for it. The Arrancar pulled back the edge of his coat.

"Kaeliel Aratashi, the _new_ fourth Espada."

Ulquiorra felt a chill creep up his spine and it had nothing to do with the icy captain behind him. On the Arrancar's chest, dead center, was the number four. He'd been replaced.

Kaeliel's white coat had the sleeves cut off, leaving ragged ends. In the center of his torso was an average-sized Hollow hole, only a few inches under the tattooed number. Black cloth strips were wrapped around his forearms, matching the one tying back his light purple hair that stuck up crazily in the front. His fractured mask went down the side of his face on his left side with one piece sticking out to cover half his forehead and an eye the color of mud. His ears were slightly pointed near the end and, combined with his sneering smile, gave him a demonic look.

"Well?" he asked haughtily. His tone reminded Ulquiorra a little of Grimmjow Jaggerjaques, but he seemed even less controlled. Not that Grimmjow had ever been controlled, but this guy was verging on crazy. A very _cocky_ form of crazy.

"There is nothing to say," Ulquiorra replied, keeping himself from clenching his teeth. He had to remain calm. If this "Kaeliel Aratashi" knew that he was getting to Ulquiorra, then it would only make him think he was winning.

Kaeliel laughed loudly, eyes shining like he was drunk out of his mind. He pointed his sword at Ulquiorra's chest. "Ha! Where's your Hollow Hole, Ulquiorra? Why is your mask falling to pieces, _Ulquiorra?_ You're not even a real Arrancar."

To prove his point, he delivered a light blow to the helmet, which cracked and broke even more, a small, jagged hole now forming near the back. Continuing the action, he swept the sword tip down to tear at Ulquiorra's shirt, exposing his outdated number. Ulquiorra's reflexes couldn't save him as Kaeliel shoved the zanpakto through his stomach and pressed a hand against the number. He fired a small, close-range cero, burning the skin off so that it erased the number and buried it under the scar. The cero was amped up to blast Ulquiorra off the sword and into the ground.

Meanwhile, Hitsugaya had moved without being noticed. The two Arrancar were so caught up in their argument that they didn't notice him sneak behind Kaeliel. The moment Ulquiorra was blasted away, Hitsugaya swung his sword down on the man. He cried out as it struck him hard, creating a long gash down his back. Growling, Kaeliel turned to face the captain. He lunged at his opponent with his sword, aiming to kill.

Their fight was what Ulquiorra opened his eyes to from the crater in which he lay. He glanced downward at the blood staining his uniform and the pale skin that was now marred by the ugly pink-grey burn. He was thankful to be able to regenerate. Already, the skin was sewing itself back together over the gaping wound. He ignored the pain and focused on the battle above.

His enemy was no longer the Shinigami captain. It was Kaeliel.

Summoning his strength, Ulquiorra pointed a finger at his replacement. Blue energy began to glow around it and build. Already, he was feeling weak from the energy usage, but he should have enough for this. The cero bolted away from him and blasted Kaeliel across the sky, clear away from the captain. Said Shinigami turned to look at him with wide eyes, but immediately gained control over his expression and went after Kaeliel.

Kaeliel was ready to charge at Hitsugaya again even after the brutal attack from that traitor Ulquiorra, but was stopped by a hand grabbing his arm. He turned in surprise to see it coming out of a portal to Hueco Mundo. Before he could protest, he was dragged backward, kicking and screaming the whole way.

"No, I wanna fight him! I wasn't done yet! You crazy…!"

Hitsugaya growled, his opponent having escaped. His attention was quickly diverted by the other Arrancar who was just standing up out of the pile of rubble. Yes, this "Ulquiorra," as Kaeliel had called him, had fired a cero that worked in his favor, but he was not to be trusted. Vehemently, Hitsugaya shunpoed to the edge of the crater, watching the creature with a careful eye. He noticed that a section of the bottom half of his mask had broken off.

Ulquiorra dusted himself off, not making eye contact with the Shinigami. He knew that he looked like a mess and after seeing Kaeliel Aratashi, he knew that he was definitely weaker than he should be. He blamed that on the fact that he was no longer in possession of his zanpakto.

Hitsugaya was instantly behind Ulquiorra, sword pressing lightly against his back. "What do you want? Why are you here?"

"Ul…quiorra?" a new voice broke in, sounding faint.

...

**And thus you meet Ulquiorra's replacement. He'll be back later.**


	5. Reasons to Live

**Disclaimer: My mind is too deranged to come up with something as good as Bleach.**

...

**5**

**Reasons to Live**

"_Ul…quiorra?" a new voice broke in, sounding faint._

Both males turned to see Matsumoto and Orihime standing there. Ulquiorra stiffened. Orihime was leaning on Matsumoto for support and her eyes were beginning to water. The tears finally over flowed and she screamed, "Please don't!"

"This is none of your business, woman," Ulquiorra told her, looking emotionless, but sounding slightly strained.

Orihime pushed off of Matsumoto and stumbled forward, almost falling on her way down the crater.

"Stay back, Orihime!" Hitsugaya warned, not wavering his sword for one instant.

She slowed, but did not stop moving. Her pace was hesitant as she walked forward, one hand extended in the exact same gesture Ulquiorra had last seen it. He fought to keep his own hand from doing the same. Matsumoto appeared behind the girl, holding her lowered arm to keep her still. The taller woman gave him a stern look, but all he could see was Orihime crying the way she had so often back in Las Noches.

"I am going to ask questions, you are going to answer them," Hitsugaya demanded. He continued at his captive's silence. "You are Ulquiorra Schiffer, former fourth Espada, correct?"

"Yes," Ulquiorra answered seriously.

"What is your relation with Orihime Inoue?"

"Former captor and caretaker."

Orihime struggled a little at this, but Matsumoto's hold was strong.

"Why are you in the human world?"

"I do not know."

"Give me one good reason I should not kill you right now."

"I have none."

"No!" Orihime screamed, causing everyone to turn to her again. She finally managed to rip herself away from Matsumoto's grip and run toward the confrontation.

"_Woman,_" Ulquiorra almost growled.

"I don't want to watch you die again," she sobbed. "Please no."

Ulquiorra drew a deep breath. "Then don't look."

She stared frantically at the Shinigami who held Ulquiorra's life in his hands. "Please, Captain Hitsugaya."

Ulquiorra felt his muscles tighten involuntarily. Hitsugaya? But Toshiro would have been long gone by now. Was it possible that this was one of his descendants? How ironic. He was being killed by the descendant of the very person he promised he wouldn't die.

Shockingly, the blade pressed close to Ulquiorra's skin disappeared. He felt his face display a little bit of his surprise. His emotionless mask was wearing away just as quickly as his Hollow mask. This was only proved further when Orihime hugged him, still sobbing.

She'd never made such a rash move before, but Orihime didn't care. Ulquiorra was _here_. Not in the endless white sands of Hueco Mundo, reduced to nothing more than ashes, but _here. _She was so happy. She'd deeply regretted not being able to save him.

"Woman, if you continue your actions, you will become covered in blood."

She pulled back, trying to figure out what he meant, when it finally struck her that he was _drenched_ in blood. Looking down, she realized she was, too. Which meant that the blood was fresh. And judging from the half-healed wounds, it was his.

"Ah! What happened to you?"

He stayed calm, despite how frantic she looked. "It seems I have a replacement."

He caught her glancing to the burn on his chest where his number had been. "…Because you died?"

"Precisely."

With slow movements, she raised her hand, brushing the horn on his deteriorating helmet. He let her. Her face was sad, but the tears had stopped. "Your mask is broken." Her fingers stroked it again, accidentally causing half of the horn to fall off. She jumped, yelping. "I'm sorry!"

"It would have fallen off without your help," he said truthfully.

"Why?"

Hitsugaya stepped forward. "I was wondering the same thing. That other Arrancar had some very interesting points."

Ulquiorra knew he had no choice but to answer. His reiatsu was low, he was faced against two Shinigami who could probably kill him if they wanted to, and he didn't even have enough energy left to use sonido. So, he was stuck to admitting, "All of which are true."

Orihime looked at him curiously. "What's going on?"

Instead of giving a verbal answer, he zipped down his collar. She gasped.

"Your Hollow Hole! It's _gone!_"

"Kaeliel said you weren't an Arrancar anymore," Hitsugaya stated.

He shrugged, keeping his hands firmly in his pockets. "Who knows?"

"I'm sure Aizen is aware by now that you are alive."

"I have been replaced. He has no need for me anymore."

"Unless he wants you killed so you don't spill any of the secrets of Las Noches."

Ulquiorra distinctively frowned. He hadn't thought of that. Aizen probably _would_ want him killed now. "That would make your job easier, would it not?"

"My job was to bring you back to the Research and Development Headquarters in Soul Society," Hitsugaya informed.

Orihime went pale. "No! Captain Kurotshuchi will-!"

"She's right," Matsumoto agreed. "I wouldn't wish that man on anyone. Not even an Arrancar."

"What do _you_ propose we do then?" Hitsugaya growled. This was really becoming frustrating. Not only was the situation ticking him off, but the fact that this Ulquiorra looked way too much like Katashi for his liking was driving him over the edge. When time came to kill this guy, he needed to be able to do it. He couldn't stand there and worry over someone he'd only met in his dreams. Katashi was long-gone.

And he was not this man standing in front of him.

Ulquiorra held back a wince at how crushing Captain Hitsugaya's reiatsu was becoming. He fisted his hand inside his pocket and made sure to keep calm. He had no idea what was going on or why anyone was bothering to try to save him, but he wasn't in the position to argue.

His vision was beginning to get a little fuzzy around the edges, but he was used to it after having been battle for so long. All he had to do was take deep breaths through his nose and act like it didn't bother him whatsoever.

A new reiatsu spiked into existence. Actually, two new reiatsu. One of them was practically overpowering the other, though. The first reiatsu he half-recognized. He knew he'd felt it before, just not where. The second was completely alien.

"Kurosaki," Hitugaya grumbled, identifying the reiatsu even before Ichigo was visible.

"What's Ichigo doing here?"Orihime wondered, looking out for the substitute Shinigami.

Ulquiorra's thoughts were a little unclear, but he could register that he might be in trouble. Already, Ichigo's uncontrolled reiatsu was putting some pressure on him. That, added with Hitsugaya's barely-controlled reiatsu, which he hadn't really decreased much since the battle, was starting to become a bother. Normally, it would have been nothing. As beaten and weakened as he was now, it was not very fun at all.

"Ulquiorra," the voice of Ichigo growled upon seeing him. Ulquiorra turned slowly to face him, forcing back the headache. He looked mad, unlike the girl Shinigami next to him. Then, Ichigo realized Orihime was there and his copper eyes widened, face going into shock. "O-Orihime!"

Something clicked for the girl then. "Ulquiorra was the person you told me to watch out for, wasn't he?"

Ichigo's mouth flapped open for a second before he could mumble out, "Yeah."

"So, why are you two here?" Hitsugaya interrogated. If Ichigo and Rukia had to show up at all, couldn't it have been during the fight? Then they might have been able to kill Kaeliel.

"I sensed the battle, Captain Hitsugaya, but I had to drag this idiot out of bed first," Rukia informed, motioning to Ichigo.

"Hey!" the carrot-top argued.

By now, the close proximity of the two captain-level Shinigami was becoming extremely uncomfortable for Ulquiorra and not just socially. He was struggling to breathe. The feeling of being crushed by reiatsu was new to him and one he did not particularly enjoy. He could even feel his mask starting to crack even more.

"So, what's going on?" Rukia questioned, keeping a wary eye on the former Espada whose eyes were becoming more distant by the second.

"I have been ordered to bring the Arrancar to the twelfth division," Hitsugaya replied. Rukia suppressed a shudder. "Orihime is set out to stop me."

Ichigo turned to said girl's pleading grey eyes. He could see that she really cared about what happened to Ulquiorra. Whether it was guilt or some twisted form of affection for her previous captor, he wasn't sure. He sighed and took a good look at Ulquiorra. The creature had almost finished healing himself, but there was a large scar over the place where his number should be and blood stained just about every piece of clothing he wore. Ichigo also saw how his slightly-less-green eyes were following everything very sluggishly. Also, his Hollow Hole was nowhere to be seen, which was a cause for at least curiosity.

"You're sure not saying much," Ichigo commented irritably. It only annoyed him more when he didn't get a response. "Hey, Ulquiorra, I'm talking to you."

Without warning, Ulquiorra staggered to the side and fell. His head slammed against the ground, splitting what was left of his mask clean in half, right along the largest crack by the base of his horn. The pieces detached from his head, leaving a full head of dark hair. Everyone stared in shock at the unconscious being. Orihime was the first to kneel down by him.

"Ulquiorra?" she asked, shaking his shoulder.

"What was that about?" Matsumoto asked.

"He must have been too weak to withstand our reiatsu," Hitsugaya guessed.

Orihime frowned sadly, gently pushing away the shards of his mask. Upon her touching them, they turned to dust and were swept away by the breeze, just like Ulquiorra had been last time she'd seen him. While he was mostly put back together now, he still appeared broken. The absence of his mask made him look so different.

Hitsugaya was having his own dilemma with the ex-Arrancar. Ulquiorra looked almost exactly like Katashi did in his dream. He was on a street with blood all over the place and tears falling down his cheeks, even if they were only face-markings now. It was getting harder to deny that this was Katashi and that bothered him beyond anything.

Turning around, Hitsugaya muttered, "Take him to Urahara. This whole mess is his fault, anyhow." Without another word, he jumped into the sky and vanished. Frowning, Matsumoto stared after him, knowing he needed to be left alone. She turned back to the group.

"Ichigo, Rukia, you two can go back home," she said. "Orihime and I will take care of Ulquiorra."

Ichigo opened his mouth to say something, but Rukia tugged on his arm. In silent agreement, they bounded off. With them out of sight, all the focus was now on the unconscious man. Orihime had already called out her fairies, creating a healing shield around Ulquiorra. His mask would start to form, but then crumble away into nothing just as quickly. Matsumoto placed a hand on Orihime's arm.

"Let's get to Urahara's first."

Orihime nodded, standing up. Matsumoto, being the larger and stronger of the two, took it upon herself to get Ulquiorra. He was too light to be healthy, she thought. Orihime held tightly to both of them and all three shunpoed away.

...

**This is not necessarily Ulquihime. There will be no real pairings in this fic, just moments hinting toward the possibility, exactly as the show has run. Sorry if I disappointed anyone.**


	6. Ulquiorra’s Ultimatum

**Disclaimer: Seriously guys, I can't draw. At all. Although I'm **_**trying**_** to learn to draw some anime. Key word: "trying."**

...

**6**

**Ulquiorra's Ultimatum**

Hitsugaya sat on Orihime's roof, staring blankly at the stars. The chilly night air wasn't helping him as much as he thought it would. He tried his hardest to push back the dream-like memories, but the harder he tried, the more forcefully they came back. Now, they had stopped seeming like someone else's life and more like his own. It didn't matter how many times he told himself that all of these thoughts were wrong; that if he really did have a brother, he would not be Ulquiorra Schiffer. At the same time, every mental image he had of Katashi only brought more similarities.

Groaning, he fell backward, arms splayed beside him. He was beginning to wish he was like most Shinigami who never remembered anything from their pasts. He didn't _want_ these memories. They just complicated everything.

'_You do not want to know the events that have created who you are?'_ Hyorinmaru asked.

'_You've been awful chatty lately,'_ Hitsugaya thought back.

'_I'm a part of you. If you're troubled, it bothers me as well.'_

'_Do you know why all of this is happening?'_

'_Yes.'_

'_But knowing you, you're not going to tell me.'_

'_You've learned well. Toshiro, I know more about your life than you do, but some things are better left for you to find out on your own. Think about it.'_

Hitsugaya sighed as Hyorinmaru left him again. He knew where to find his answers, but that didn't mean he wanted to go there. Sadly, he didn't have much of a choice.

...

Orihime sat next to her former captor. She'd healed his wounds as much as she could, even going as far to heal the burn so that his tattoo returned, but his mask refused to reform and his Hollow Hole was nowhere in sight. Not that she minded the absence of those. His reiatsu had risen, which was a good sign. The bloody clothes had cleaned and repaired themselves under her shield. His breathing was set in an easy rhythm, not a hint of struggle. All she could do now was wait.

Urahara and Matsumoto were talking in the other room, probably discussing what to do with the ex-Arrancar once he'd woken up. Already, there had been several false alarms when he'd twitched, but he was still out for the count.

Beside her, Ulquiorra's hand tightened into a fist. Gently, Orihime put hers over it, causing it to relax. She smiled at the very human reaction. The moment was interrupted when the door behind her slid open. She jerked her hand back as if touching him was a serious crime.

Urahara stood against the doorframe, looking at her knowingly from underneath the brim of his hat. "It's late. Are you tired?"

Orihime was actually _very_ tired, but she didn't want to leave Ulquiorra alone.

As if he knew what she was thinking, Urahara added, "You can drag another futon in here if you want."

Embarrassed, she nodded and stood, keeping her head down on her way to the door.

"He'll be fine," Urahara whispered when she was passing him.

She blinked. Was it that obvious how worried she was?

...

Matsumoto sat on the couch while reading a magazine. She found human gossip very amusing. So, when Toshiro Hitsugaya shoved his way through the door, she was startled into tossing the magazine. "Captain!" she exclaimed, standing quickly to make it at least look like she had been attending to serious matters.

Hitsugaya saw the magazine, but chose not to comment on it. His intense eyes locked with Matsumoto's, letting her know that it was time to get down to business. "Status report?"

"The Arr-um, ex-Arrancar is still unconscious," she informed. "Orihime healed him, but the mask didn't return. All else is the same."

Hitsugaya contemplated this. If Orihime could not bring that mask back, there was a good chance that it was not _coming_ back. He also assumed that Ulquiorra's Hollow hole might be permanently missing as well. In that case, he had absolutely no idea what to do. Ah, he knew coming here would give him a headache.

"Hello, Captain Hitsugaya!" greeted the familiar voice of Kiske Urahara. "Pleasure to see you."

"Urahara," Hitsugaya replied, his greeting less grand.

"So, what's the plan?" the shopkeeper inquired. "Last time I checked, you don't heal your enemies before you ship 'em off to twelfth division."

"There isn't a plan yet," Hitsugaya admitted. "We're playing it by ear for now."

"That's not like you," Urahara noted. He nodded to the slide door down the hall. "They're both in there, but I'd be quiet. Orihime might be sleeping."

Hitsugaya nodded, using his Shinigami training to get inside the room without making a noise. Indeed, Orihime was asleep, her futon pulled up about two feet from Ulquiorra's. Why she would do that was beyond him. His muscles jump-started out of habit when the ex-Espada's facial expression tightened momentarily, but relaxed when nothing happened. Seeing that everything was as fine as it could be in this situation, he exited the room.

"You two are welcome to stay here for the night," Urahara offered. "Jinta and Ururu are more than used to Shinigami randomly appearing in the middle of the night."

"Sure!" Matsumoto accepted even before asking her captain.

"Captain Hitsugaya?" Urahara asked, obviously having more manners for once.

"That's fine," Hitsugaya said begrudgingly.

...

Sadly, there was only one free room left. Hitsugaya's choice was to stay with Matsumoto or sleep on the couch. It wasn't a very hard choice. And that was why he was staring at the living room ceiling, far away from Matsumoto who might roll over and squish him. It wouldn't be the first time it happened. Last time, he'd almost suffocated.

Hitsugaya rolled to his side, trying not to get twisted in the thin blanket. He closed his eyes, trying in vain to get to sleep. It was going to be freaking dawn soon! They'd all been up so late, but by now, everyone was else was out for the count. Figures he'd been the one person that sleep decided to avoid.

Down the hall, he could hear snoring. But that was _all_ he could hear. Outside was dead quiet. The silence was almost disturbing. Suddenly, a faint creak broke the silence. His ears went on full alert and he pretended to be asleep. It was probably nothing, but it was better safe than sorry.

...

Ulquiorra awoke with stiff muscles and a faint pain in his head, but was otherwise fine. He had no idea where he was and his first instinct was to scan the room. He became confused at finding Orihime sleeping next to him, but shook it off for now. Instead, he focused on the fact that he was in a strange room in a building he did not know.

That's when he realized his head felt _way_ too light. He put a hand to it and had to immediately put a lid on his panic. His mask was gone. Completely gone. No matter how many times he felt for it, all he came up with was limp black hair. He assumed Orihime had healed him considering he no longer felt the agony associated with the gaping wound in his stomach, so why did his mask not return?

Ulquiorra stood quickly and silently, almost falling off balance after having been down for so long. His muscles tightened when Orihime shifted, but she settled back down soon enough. There was a door on the other side of the room. If he could get out it without waking anyone, it might be possible to escape. Wherever this place was, it was most likely under the watch of Shinigami.

The sliding door did not creak and he was happy for that. Neither did the floorboards in the hallway behind it. Across the room, there was a door that seemed to lead to the outside world. He had to get away from the Shinigami, even if it meant sneaking off in the middle of the night without a word to the woman who had bothered to heal him. He'd have to stay under the radar for now.

About half-way across the room, he noticed the sleeping Shinigami captain on the sofa. Suddenly, silence gained so much more importance. He couldn't wake Captain Hitsugaya up if he wanted to escape. He'd come back for Murcielago later.

The younger boy's face reminded him a little of his brother, Toshiro. During the past few days and especially last night, Ulquiorra's human memories had been refreshed. It was now very easy to picture the face of his younger brother. Of course, his memories of the boy only went up until Ulquiorra's initial death, meaning Toshiro had still been very young. While Captain Hitsugaya no doubt looked a small bit like his brother, the white hair and older face made the comparison harder. The Toshiro he knew had hair as dark as Ulquiorra's and a child's face.

Ulquiorra hesitated by the door for a second, but forced himself to go through with the escape.

"Going somewhere?"

Ulquiorra had the hardest time trying to keep his expression emotionless as he faced the very person he was just contemplating. Captain Hitsugaya raised an irritated eyebrow.

"What were you planning on doing?" the captain continued. "You don't even have your zanpakto anymore." When Ulquiorra still said nothing, mostly because he couldn't think of one word to say, Hitsugaya gave him a good look-over and sighed. "I'll make you a deal. If you go back in that room right now, I won't tell anyone else about this little incident."

Ulquiorra cast one more longing glance at the door, but gave in. He breezed past the captain and stopped in front of his door. He half-turned, glancing at Hitsugaya. "May I ask one question?"

"Depends. What is it?" Hitsugaya was honestly curious. He ran through all the possibilities in his head.

"Your first name…what is it?"

The icy captain's hard face slipped, revealing complete surprise. That was an unexpected question. It was in this state that he blankly answered, "Toshiro."

Ulquiorra faced away from him, saying, "Goodnight, Captain Hitsugaya," before entering the room containing the sleeping Orihime.

Hitsugaya groaned inwardly. If he had a hard time getting to sleep before, it would be _impossible_ now.

...

The morning came and Orihime Inoue opened her eyes. She'd actually fallen asleep. Stretching, her first thought was to check on her roommate.

"Ulquiorra!" she shrieked happily upon noticing he was awake.

"Hello, woman," he greeted softly.

"When did you wake up?" the girl wondered.

"Not too long ago," he lied, knowing it would depress her to hear that he had been awake since the pre-dawn.

"That's great," she said. Awkwardly, she also admitted, "I was really worried when you just collapsed like that. I tried to heal you and it worked most of the way, but your mask didn't come back."

"It's fine."

She looked at him curiously. Yes, it was Ulquiorra, but she expected him to be more resentful than that. There was definitely something else, though. She could see it in his eyes, which, she noticed looked slightly bluer and more alive. Like Captain Hitsugaya's. Strange.

"Is something wrong?" Orihime inquired, quickly adding, "besides being here and everything."

"Just thinking."

Something was definitely different about him, Orihime thought. And she was right. Ulquiorra's mind was tumbling over itself. _Toshiro._ Any doubts that he had about Captain Hitsugaya being his long-lost brother were slowly being obliterated. If Ulquiorra just imagined Toshiro with the black hair he used to have, it seemed even more likely. He'd heard once that some Shinigami and Arrancar had white hair because of something extremely traumatizing in their past. If that was true, he couldn't help but wonder what Toshiro had been through. They'd already lost their father and then Ulquiorra, who had been called Katashi back then, had gone and gotten himself killed.

How old was Toshiro when he died? The last time Ulquiorra had seen him, he'd been seven years old. Obviously, he'd grown since then, but how much of that growth was in Soul Society? Toshiro himself might be a little fuzzy on that. After all, Ulquiorra knew that souls generally lost all their memories upon crossing over. Toshiro had probably forgotten him already.

There was something else that was a major cause of concern as well. When Ulquiorra had been alive, he remembered sensing ghosts. Maybe some Shinigami. It wasn't unusual that he'd see shadow-like figures and once he thought he'd seen a white mask. That ability was what made him such a powerful Hollow/Arrancar. His reiatsu had already been higher than a normal person's. What was bothering him was if Toshiro had ever gone through the same thing. Obviously, he was very strong for such a young age, which indicated that he might have. Ulquiorra remembered a very young Toshiro who had already begun to sense strange things around the time that Ulquiorra was seeing shadows. He used to be very disturbed by them and would wake Ulquiorra up to tell him that someone was watching them. What happened past that stage, Ulquiorra did not know. Although, he could have sworn that Toshiro had seen or heard him when he was a ghost.

The worst part was that Ulquiorra had _promised_ he wouldn't die anytime soon. Then, after he'd broken that, he'd promised as a ghost to not leave Toshiro. He was almost positive that Toshiro had heard him. Ulquiorra's memories during that time were vague. He remembered running away from a Shinigami and he remembered when he'd turned into a Hollow, forcing himself with his last scrap of will to leave so that he wouldn't hurt Toshiro. His time as a Hollow was blurred by pain, hunger, and rage. He knew that he'd accelerated past being a normal Hollow and into a very individual Gillian, a powerful Adjuchas, and then streamlined into becoming a Vasto Lorde. His name had become blurry at some point and he had to think of a new one; thus Ulquiorra Schiffer. Then, Aizen had turned him into an Arrancar, giving him back his ability to reason and think more clearly. That wasn't too long ago.

Immediately, Ulquiorra proved himself to be powerful. He'd hidden all of his emotions so that they wouldn't hinder him. It wasn't long before he'd shot up the ranks to being the fourth Espada. If he'd tried hard, he probably could have gone higher. He pushed that thought aside. It didn't matter anymore. He was no longer an Arrancar. He could _feel_ it, even if the sensation that he still had a monstrous Hollow locked inside of him somewhere hadn't vanished.

A knock on the door broke Ulquiorra's train of thought. Orihime darted up to answer, slapping on a big smile. On the other side stood Matsumoto.

"Good morning, Rangiku," Orihime greeted cheerily.

"You too, Orihime," she answered. The woman glanced over Orihime's shoulder to see Ulquiorra conscious with his head turned in the other direction. Towards a blank wall. Matsumoto's eyes asked the question running through her mind.

"He's fine," Orihime whispered in her ear. "Just kind of…off."

Matsumoto nodded. Tentatively, she called, "Ulquiorra."

The man finally looked at them and Matsumoto found herself temporarily stunned. His gaze was intense. His face also had a very entrancing quality about it. It was neither human nor monster. Something that fit oddly in between.

She was ultimately trying Ulquiorra's current patience by the time she said, "Everyone is meeting to discuss possible alternatives to twelfth division."

Understanding, he stood, shoving his hands in his pockets once more. Orihime tagged along right beside him. Ulquiorra saw the gathering from behind Matsumoto. In case of an emergency, his chances of escape were slim. There were too many Shinigami who _had _their zanpaktos.

Out of the blue, a sword hilt came hurtling toward his forehead. He was hit squarely.

"D-," a voice cursed. "I was hoping that would work."

He looked up dully to see the girl Shinigami from the night before. Why was she there? Matsumoto had told her and Ichigo to go away. Great. He hoped he wouldn't have to deal with that orange-haired idiot, too.

"Nice try, Rukia," Urahara said.

Rukia sheathed her sword, disappointed. Apparently, she was wishing that he'd just disappear and be off to Soul Society or something. In the far corner of the room, Captain Hitsugaya was leaning against the wall, looking exhausted. The dark circles under his eyes were evidence. Outside, a commotion was stirring, reiatsu flaring. There was a yell and then it ended. Ichigo Kurosaki came bursting through the door, his massive sword slung over his shoulder. It was obvious he'd been taking care of a Hollow.

"It's gone," he announced, taking his place with the group. He realized Ulquiorra was up and sent him a hard look.

Ulquiorra felt like a prisoner about to be tried. In this situation, the Shinigami were the judge and jury. He might as well have been handcuffed when Matsumoto led him further into the group. He doubted this would be a very fair trial, either. Ichigo obviously hated him and Captain Hitsugaya wasn't much better.

"You look better," Urahara commented.

Ulquiorra didn't say a word.

"You should feel lucky," Hitsugaya practically mumbled. "If it wasn't for Orihime's resistance, you'd be in twelfth division by now."

"I know," Ulquiorra responded, surprising everyone by speaking.

Hitsugaya was the first one to shake it off. "While you were unconscious, we've come up with several more options. One: We could try to convince the Head Captain to let you reside in Rukongai under strict surveillance. Two: You go back to Hueco Mundo and swear not to return under the circumstance that we _will_ kill you. Also, a device will be implanted to prevent you from returning. Or three: You are forced to stay in the human world, bound to a gigai which prevents you from using your power, only removable by Urahara. It will also make it impossible for you to travel to either Hueco Mundo or Soul Society. Any attempts at removing the device attached to the gigai will instantly be reported to Urahara and drastic measures will be taken. If this option is chosen, Soul Society will be told that you vanished and never returned. Are we clear?"

"Yes," Ulquiorra answered. As limited as his options were, they were not as horrible as he'd expected them to be.

"You have until tomorrow to decide," Hitsugaya declared.

Ulquiorra shrugged and walked away. The closing of a door could be heard. Hitsugaya was glaring at where the former Espada had disappeared to. Orihime looked to the same spot, only with longing and pity. This must have been killing him. As much as she wanted to go with him, she knew he needed some time alone to think through his decision. Secretly, she wanted him to choose the third option.

In less than an hour, the assembled Shinigami had dispersed. Orihime was assured that Ulquiorra would be fine and was forced to return home for a little while. Hitsugaya had fled to the top of a building, wanting some peace and quiet for a while.

"Captain," Matsumoto said, approaching him unannounced.

"Yes?" the boy captain answered irritably.

She sat down next to him. He refused to look at her. "Is something bothering you?"

"Of course not." His tone was terse and screamed "I'm lying!"

"You didn't sleep again last night, did you?"

"That is none of your business!" he snapped with uncharacteristic force. Noticing her stunned face, he composed his expression and drew his emotions back in.

Matsumoto had almost never failed to find the root of his problems. As ditzy as she seemed sometimes, she could be very perceptive. She'd always used that talent on him ever since they'd first met. A day that would scar him for the rest of his life. That woman had a horrible time letting things go. That applied to right now as well.

"I don't mean to be invasive, but you worry me sometimes," she admitted. "If you hadn't practically been exploding with power when I found you, I might have been able to leave you for a while. Maybe you were too young for all of this."

He glared. "I've been handling it just fine."

"Then what's wrong? Ever since Ulquiorra came back…" she trailed off.

"Nothing."

"_Captain."_

He stood and started to walk away. He was stopped when Matsumoto wrapped her arms around him in an almost motherly way.

"Matsumoto, please stop," he muttered.

She let go. "I'll find out eventually," she vowed. He walked off without replying. It bothered her how stressed-out he was. If he wasn't still just a kid, she'd suggest sake. However, since he was, she'd have to find alternative methods.

...

Hitsugaya stayed out well into the night. He felt the need to avoid Urahara's shop at all costs. He was very tempted to fall asleep on some random rooftop, but within five minutes of that thought, texts were flying at him like crazy, most of them from Matsumoto. She was threatening that she'd track him down and drag him back. So, reluctantly, he headed back. He passed by Ichigo's home, relieved that he could sense all four of the family's reiatsu plus Rukia's, meaning he would not have to deal with the orange-haired menace tonight. As he passed, though, he thought he heard someone say, "Toshiro?"

He ignored it and sped up, mumbling to himself, "That's _Captain Hitsugaya._" Not one of the Kurosaki's he'd met called him by his rightful title.

Soon enough, he found himself walking through the door of Urahara's place. He stopped dead when he saw Ulquiorra…with a white mask forming.


	7. No More Choices

**Disclaimer: …I ran out of disclaimers. Is there a point where I can stop disclaimer-ing?**

...

**7**

**No More Choices**

Previous to that, Ulquiorra had been quietly contained in the room. He'd studied the surroundings until he could get around with his eyes closed, he'd listened to every single freaking sound in that house, and he'd stared at nothingness until both his eyes and thoughts burned him. The simple human term for this would be "boredom."

Yes, Ulquiorra Schiffer was very, very bored. To make things worse, his mind was completely jumbled. It was making him sick and he felt as if he might start to go insane. As it was, he was already suffering. He had to choose what he was going to do with the rest of his existence. He was leaning toward going back to Hueco Mundo, but the idea began to repulse him. Soul Society would be a nightmare. The human world held some possibility, but he could barely stand that Ichigo for three minutes, let alone the rest of his life. This was going to be a very difficult-

Something in his chest pulsed and a shock-wave went to Ulquiorra's brain. Breathing became hard. Before he knew it, he was clutching at his heart. He doubled over, trying to think through the haze. The left side of his face began to burn. He brought up a hand to touch it, now used to expecting the plain skin and hair. He found bone.

Ulquiorra stumbled to a stand and tried to shove his way out of the room. Everything was spinning as if he was severely drunk. He wasn't even aware of how badly he was shaking. A feverish feeling took over and it was getting harder to resist. The bony surface he felt around his face grew. He barely made it to the living room when his legs refused to work. He slumped pathetically against the wall, unable to sturdy himself.

The sensation that he had something dark and empty buried inside him increased, taking over his whole being. Hard material began to stretch across his face and his wide green-blue eyes. For a second, he imagined he saw Toshiro standing in the doorway, paralyzed. More pain seared through his eyes, making it impossible to see _anything._

Hands dug into his shoulders. Ulquiorra couldn't have possibly known that they were Toshiro's hands. Hitsugaya was making an attempt to still the convulsing creature. Swiftly, he drew Hyorinmaru, releasing Shikai. If Ulquiorra was turning back into a Hollow, it had to be done. He sent a quick, hard strike to the practically full mask. The right side shattered, but reformed. Hitsugaya refused to stop. Where was that d- shop keeper? Urahara should have been watching him!

Finally, the mask gave up and vanished, leaving an exhausted ex-Arrancar behind. All Ulquiorra was capable of at that moment was breathing. His eyes wouldn't even open. Reluctantly, Hitsugaya let the man lean on him after he'd sheathed his sword. Their situation had completely changed. Ulquiorra could still revert back to a Hollow. The option of requesting Ulquiorra stay in Rukongai was completely out now and letting him stay in the human world was next to impossible.

Slowly, Ulquiorra tried to stand, using the wall for support. He nearly collapsed again, but managed to stay up.

"What happened?" Hitsugaya demanded.

Ignoring him, Ulquiorra started to stumble back to his room, barely able to get the sliding door open. Hitsugaya would have none of that. Before the man could enter, the captain grabbed his wrist and held it tightly.

"Answer my question."

Ulquiorra mumbled something.

"I can't hear you."

The message was repeated, but still Hitsugaya could make out nothing. He let go of Ulquiorra's wrist. "I'm calling Orihime," he warned, keeping his gaze steadily on the being.

"No," Ulquiorra said, barely loud enough.

Hitsugaya's eyes narrowed. "Why?"

Instead of answering, Ulquiorra slumped against the back wall in his room and closed his eyes.

"Are you even listening to me?"

Evidently not. Hitsugaya slammed the door shut. Where was everyone? They called him back! They should be there!

"Ah, Captain Hitsugaya," Urahara greeted, appearing out of nowhere.

Hitsugya spun on him angrily. "Where were you? And where is Matsumoto?"

He laughed lightly. His breath smelled like alcohol. "No worries. All of us were just out back havin' a few drinks."

The tiny captain growled and stomped out back to give Matsumoto a piece of his mind. Urahara watched him go before letting his drunken smile slip. Hitsugaya should have known that Urahara could hold his liquor better than that. Silently, the shop keeper slid open the door to Ulquiorra's room and peeked inside. The former Espada was fast asleep, looking like he was horribly ill.

With the grace of a Shinigami, Urahara sneaked inside the room and knelt carefully by Ulquiorra's side. He drew something out from his robe and placed it in Ulquiorra's hand, closing the fingers around it. Once the task was complete, he left as swiftly as he'd came.

Now he just had to deal with the angry captain.

...

Hitsugaya would have found it impossible to sleep if he wasn't so freaking tired. Between having no sleep the previous night, dealing with the nightmare-case that was Ulquiorra Shiffer, and handling a very drunk Matsumoto, he was ready to pass out. If only his sleep had been a dreamless one.

_The room was dark. Outside, rain fell heavily, some of it finding its way through the cracks of the house and dripping from the ceiling onto the floor. Little Toshiro gasped as the feeling that someone was watching him arose. Thunder boomed. Fearfully, Toshiro sat up and crawled over to where a dark lump lay. He shook it, causing it to stir and grumble._

"_Katashi," Toshiro whispered._

"_Yes?"_

"_Something's watching us."_

_Immediately, Katashi sat up, sea-green irises locking onto the exact place where Toshiro felt the invisible eyes. Without glancing away, he moved his hand to Toshiro's shoulder. "It's nothing, Shiro. Go back to sleep."_

"_What if it hurts us?" the young boy wondered fearfully._

"_Would I ever let anything hurt you?"_

_Toshiro shook his head._

"_Then you have nothing to worry about. Go to sleep."_

_Moments after Toshiro shut his eyes, the presence vanished._

...

When Ulquiorra woke up, it was late at night. He felt something odd pressed in his hand. Opening it, he found a small object wrapped in a piece of paper. Using his enhanced night vision, he found the light switch so that he could examine the parcel.

The paper was a note, he discovered. It said, _Put this on and don't take it off. Trust me even if you don't want to. It will help control that thing you felt before._ The note was wrapped around a metal ring with a thin chain through it. A necklace.

By no means did Ulquiorra trust the mysterious sender. Instead of putting it around his neck like he was meant to do, Ulquiorra stashed it in his pocket. He listened in case there was anyone watching, waiting to see what he would do with it. At first, he heard nothing. Then, there was a slight rustling from the living room.

Wanting to interrogate whoever it was about the item, he went to the door. Upon opening it, he realized no one was there. He kept listening, knowing it would be almost useless to figure out who it was by reiatsu considering everyone was so tightly packed together. Another sound. He poked his head around the dark corner.

He felt idiotic when he finally comprehended that the noise was only Toshiro on the couch. However, it was odd the way Toshiro's reiatsu was trembling. The changes weren't very large, but noticeably unstable. Old memories stirred and he remembered times when they were younger. After their father died, Toshiro often had nightmares, tossing and turning until Ulquiorra/Katashi could calm him down. It was almost out of habit that Ulquiorra would feel the need to check on him now.

Just like in his memories, Toshiro wouldn't stay still. His clothes were twisted almost to the point of strangling him. When he was younger, his expression would be scared. Now, it was cursed with a hardness that was miserable to see on a child of his age. Ulquiorra bent on one knee as to see his face clearer. He was finding it impossible to doubt this was Toshiro. He could _feel_ that it was. Everything he did, his eyes, his face, his _name._ No matter the slight age difference and change in hair color, this was the little brother he used to know.

Carefully, so as not to wake him, Ulquiorra put his fingers in the white locks and stroked them through softly. After a few times of repeating this action, Toshiro's movements slowed and his breathing regulated. This only proved Ulquiorra's theory further. Now, more than ever, he wished he knew what happened since he last saw his younger brother. Obviously, things had gone downhill. Ulquiorra once again reminded himself that, conscious, Toshiro wouldn't remember him as anything other than the troublesome ex-Arrancar. Asleep, it was like his body recognized this familiar action that had so often brought peace to him.

Toshiro let out a small sigh, but remained unconscious. Ulquiorra was almost surprised to find himself reluctant to leave. He would have to soon or else Toshiro would wake up and think that Ulquiorra was trying to kill him. It was sad how they had gone from being close brothers to distanced enemies.

Unknown to either of them, two doors down, someone had woken up. This someone was Rangiku Matsumoto. She was well-used to the slight fluctuations in her captain's reiatsu. They were practically an alarm clock to her. Waking up was an instinct. She was already at the door to go look for him when the wavering suddenly stopped. Curious, she still went to check on him. Needless to say, she was shocked when she found Ulquiorra leaning on the couch.

For a second, Matsumoto thought that the man was trying to hurt her captain. She was half-way to drawing her sword when it became apparent to her that the motions he was making were not ones meant to kill. In fact, they were the same ones she had used to calm down her small captain. Looking closer, and somewhat astounded that Ulquiorra had not sensed her yet, she noticed how his eyes were softer. She couldn't see Hitsugaya from where she stood due to the backrest of the couch, but she could feel his steady, calm reiatsu along with that of Ulquiorra. She even thought there might have been the traces of a smile on the ex-Espada's usually emotionless face.

With a sigh, Ulquiorra stood to leave. Panicking, Matsumoto fled back into a shady corner. Ulquiorra walked straight past her and to his door. Before he entered, though, he gently whispered, "Goodnight, Toshiro."

All Matsumoto could do for a second was stand there, confused. Then, she gathered the mental capacity to walk over to her sleeping captain. He looked relaxed. Her eyes drifted to the door of their supposed enemy. Not for the first time, she wondered, "Who are you, Ulquiorra Schiffer?"

...

The minute school ended the next day, Orihime found herself in a hurry. She ran straight past Ichigo, giving him and Rukia a quick "goodbye," and waved to Tatsuki. She was lucky that her tomboy friend had a martial arts meeting today. She didn't want to be delayed from getting to the Urahara shop.

She heard it before she saw it. The place was accompanied by the usual ruckus, not to mention the added noise that had been sounding ever since Matsumoto came. It was quickly discovered that putting two sake-lovers in the same place was an utter disaster. Yoruichi's voice screamed at them, quickly growing irritated with whatever they were doing. It all brought a smile to Orihime's face.

She stopped to catch her breath quickly before stepping up to the door and knocking. There was a moment of complete silence. The noise only became louder after it was over. She winced at the commotion as, finally, Yoruichi opened the door.

"Hello, Orihime," she said, voice strained. Man, did she have a headache!

"Hi, Yoruichi!" Orihime's grin was as bright as her hair. She entered the small abode and was blasted with the equivalent of a rock concert. However, if this was a rock concert, the band was horrible.

"Orihime!" Matsumoto shrieked happily. She ran to do hug the girl, almost crushing her.

"Hi…Rangiku," Orihime choked out. As soon as she was released, she scanned the area.

"'Quiorrrrrrrra's in there," Matsumoto slurred, pointing a drunken finger to a few feet left of Ulquiorra's door. Orihime got the point nonetheless and went to visit the ex-Arrancar. She found him staring at a blank wall. His attention instantly shifted once she entered.

"Hey, Ulquiorra."

He nodded to her. His gaze was sadder than the other day.

"Is something wrong?"

Behind her, Hitsugaya stood in the open doorway, staring at the two with displeasure. "The situation has changed."

Orihime looked between the two of them with worry. "What?"

"Ulquiorra is to stay here in the human world until further plans can be made. In two days, Soul Society will be informed that he has mysteriously vanished. He will be contained here and monitored indefinitely."

Orihime finally understood Ulquiorra's sad gaze. Something happened. Something bad.

"Would you like to tell her the rest?" Hitsugaya asked, looking directly at Ulquiorra with a hard expression.

"Last night, I started to become a Hollow again. They think it may happen again and do not want me in Soul Society nor become of use to Aizen in Hueco Mundo."

She couldn't help but gawk. "A…a Hollow?"

He nodded again.

"A specialized gigai is being created as we speak," Hitsugaya informed. "All will go according to the plan mapped out yesterday with one exception." He paused to make sure he had Orihime's attention. "If he fully transforms into a Hollow, we will have no choice but to kill him."


	8. A Face of the Past

**8**

**A Face of the Past**

The rest of the day passed by agonizingly for both Ulquiorra and Orihime. By six o'clock, Matsumoto was draped over the couch, Urahara was in his "secret lab," and Yoruichi was trying to stop Jinta from hurting Ururu. There was no real dinner. Everyone was more or less snacking at random intervals. Currently, Hitsugaya was on the roof, hiding from the madness.

"It's getting late," Orihime noticed. "I should probably be getting home now."

She was given exhausted goodbyes from majority of the room and a silent nod from Ulquiorra. Running back from the shop, she was instantly glad that she'd finished her homework while there. There had been a large span of time in which there was nothing to do and Ulquiorra wasn't the best companion for conversation. Neither was Hitsugaya. What _was_ amusing was how little Ulquiorra knew about modern school subjects. Given, most of the Shinigami weren't very up to date either, but they could pass. Having been a Hollow for so long and receiving no education after that, Ulquiorra had huge gaps in his knowledge. To pass the time, she tried teaching him some of the modern subjects, but he'd given up after a while and settled to just watch her work instead.

Smiling from the memory, Orihime skidded to a stop by her door.

"Hey!" Tatsuki called from next door.

"Hi, Tatsuki!"

The dark-haired girl studied her carefully. "This is the happiest I've seen you in a long time. What happened?"

"Oh, nothing," Orihime denied. "Goodnight!"

Tatsuki blinked blankly as her friend vanished through the door. What _did_ happen?

...

Five hours later, Urahara bounded up the stairs crying, "Done!"

Hitsugaya looked at the man tiredly. "Huh?"

"The gigai is finished," the shop keeper clarified. "Made just as planned."

Matsumoto yawned, stirring from her drunken slumber. "What's all the fuss about?"

"Urahara finished the gigai," Hitsugaya stated.

"Where is Ulquiorra, anyway?" Matsumoto wondered.

Yoruichi appeared then. "Dismantling the bookshelves. The minute Orihime left, he had the sudden urge to read every single book we had. Even the dictionary."

Intrigued, Urahara went into the ex- Arrancar's room. Books upon books were stacked around him, organized into two neat piles. Ulquiorra still had one in his hands. The pages were being flipped through quickly. Urahara couldn't stop himself from chuckling after he left.

"I think we can wait until tomorrow to give him the gigai," he announced to the small group. He mocked a yawn and stretched. "Well, I don't know about you guys, but I'm heading off to bed."

"Agreed," Yoruichi said.

Matsumoto followed her out. "Goodnight, Captain."

Hitsugaya fell onto the unoccupied couch. He was asleep in seconds.

...

Rain was trickling down from the sky the next morning. Everyone had slept in late. However, as sleep could not go on forever, Hitsugaya was the first to wake up. He'd actually had a good sleep last night. No weird dreams or anything. It was surprisingly odd how quiet the shop was that morning. He was used to the screaming and bustle caused by having too many occupants. He found himself walking outside into the cool rain. It wouldn't hurt to take a quick run around the city while everyone slept.

The only weather he loved better than this was when it snowed, he thought as he bounded off. Heat was just annoying. Hitsugaya knew that Hyorinmaru liked this weather as well. There was more water in the air and ground, which meant that they were more powerful.

Hitsugaya actually found himself smiling for the first time in what must have been forever. Passing the buildings and people of this sleepy town was peaceful. Even Karakura High School, having an unusual concentration of reiatsu due to its occupants, seemed mellower. He didn't know that was even possible with Ichigo in there.

Hitsugaya's hair was wet with sprinkled raindrops by the time he returned to the shop. It wasn't hard to tell that everyone was awake. The shouting was a hint. Resignedly, he entered.

"Captain!" Matsumoto half-screamed. Hitsugaya winced as he was, once more, crushed in a hug. One of these days, she was going to snap his spine in two.

Hitsugaya did a quick damage assessment to see if anything was broken in his absence. Nothing _appeared_ to be out of place. The walls were in one piece, Yoruichi was standing next to Urahara, trying to put back her ponytail, and Katashi was sitting in the corner, reading.

Wait. What?

Hitsugaya did a double-take.

Noticing his stare, Urahara grinned and stole the book from Ulquiorra so that he would have to look up. His eyes met Hitsugaya's. Aqua into aqua.

Hitsugaya's eyes widened further, if that was at all possible. The snowy skin, the face markings, the Espada uniform…all gone. He had a more human complexion-pale, but not deathly so. His lips and fingernails were no longer black. He was wearing a crisp white dress shirt and black jeans with white tennis shoes. Hitsugaya felt like he was going to start choking.

Matsumoto giggled. "See? Totally inconspicuous."

Hitsugaya composed his expression as Ulquiorra slowly stood. He was a little bit glad that Ulquiorra was one of the shorter Espada. Although, if Ulquiorra _was_ Katashi, which was looking more and more likely, it meant that being of small stature probably ran in their family and Hitsugaya would not grow up to be very tall either. Great.

"Captain Hitsugaya," Ulquiorra greeted respectfully.

"Schiffer," Hitsugaya half muttered in reply.

Ulquiorra paid close attention to Toshiro. From the way that his eyes had widened upon seeing Ulquiorra, it might have been possible that Toshiro recognized him. It would be interesting when _that_ bomb blew. He could hear the ticking of it already.

"You are clear on the plan, correct?" Hitsugaya said sternly.

"Yes."

"Good."

Not wanting to say anymore, Hitsugaya turned around and left. Ulquiorra did the same. The remaining occupants looked at each other in confusion. What was going on?

...

The rain cleared away and, right on time, Orihime entered the Urahara shop. She smiled pleasantly at everyone, routinely going to Ulquiorra's room. She knocked this time, although she never had before.

"Come in," he said.

Happily, she did, but soon found herself speechless.

"Ul-Ulquiorra?"

He looked completely human! She barely registered the laughing that started up behind her.

"I would get used to it, woman," he suggested. "I cannot remove the gigai."

"Ah! I didn't mean to offend you!" Orihime apologized hurriedly. "Y-You look great!"

He raised an eyebrow.

"N-Not to say that you didn't look fine before, it's just that-" she amended.

"You are not required to keep talking," he informed her, stopping the jumble of words.

She gave up on correcting herself. Instead, she looked around at all the books. "I didn't know you liked to read."

"There is not much else to do."

Orihime could agree with that sentiment. He'd been stuck in that room for days. "Aren't you ever going to be able to go outside?"

Urahara answered her question for him. "Of course! He's gonna have to when he starts working here. This house can't take anymore freeloaders."

Ulquiorra looked like he was being tortured.

"However," Urahara continued, fanning his face, "If you two wanted to walk around town now, I have no problem with it."

Orihime looked hopefully at Ulquiorra. He sighed. "Fine."

...

Hitsugaya was _not_ happy that the rain had stopped. The rain calmed his mind and he definitely needed that right now. He'd circled the town multiple times by this point. He was passing by the soccer field when a Hollow decided to stick its ugly head in the mess.

The Hollow started stomping all over the soccer practice going on below, crushing the nets and scaring the players. With a low growl, Hitsugaya attacked the creature ruthlessly. Hyorinmaru sliced easily through the skin and mask. The fight was irritatingly fast.

Once it was over, Hitsugaya checked to make sure no one was dead. Luckily, the players had decided to scatter once the random destruction started. All but one.

Karin Kurosaki stared up at him with her big dark eyes. A grin split her face and she waved furiously. "Toshiro!"

Hitsugaya debated his options. Eventually, he just gave up to go talk to her.

"Hello, Kurosaki," he half-groaned.

"I'm not my brother," she retorted. "My name is Karin."

He corrected himself. "Hello, Karin."

"I thought you weren't coming back," she said, picking up the conversation.

"I didn't plan on it."

"How long are you here for this time?"

"I will probably leave tomorrow."

"Oh." She sounded disappointed. "Well, hey, can you play one game of soccer before you go? One on one?"

"Karin!" a well-known voice called.

Even _hearing_ Ichigo made Hitsugaya twitch. "Maybe tomorrow," he muttered, taking off immediately.

Karin stared after him until Ichigo came up to shake her out of it. "Karin, Dad says you have to come home now."

"Why?"

"How should I know? Just…c'mon."

As Ichigo led Karin away, he glared at the place where he'd sensed a Hollow. A Hollow that had vanished _very_ quickly.

The question was: who killed it?

...

"I've never seen any flowers in Hueco Mundo," Orihime commented as she picked one from a small group of wildflowers.

"There aren't any," Ulquiorra replied.

"I guess there wouldn't be in a place like that," she agreed sadly. She held it out for Ulquiorra to see, but he pushed it gently back at her. She tucked it into her hair.

As they passed houses, she pointed out hers. "That's where I live."

"Mmm."

Although Orihime would never admit it out loud, Ulquiorra's quietness sometimes annoyed her. Right now, she was dying to know what was happening in the mind behind those enigmatic eyes. Lately, he had been quieter than usual.

The wind blew at his hair, tossing the black locks around like a god's. He really _did_ look good like this. Despite how miserable the situation must have been making him, she was actually kind of glad that he was staying on Earth. She was so devastated when he died at the hands of that _thing_ Ichigo had become. She didn't want something like that to ever happen again. It was crazy how protective of him she felt.

She glanced up at him again and couldn't help but smile. His eyes caught this.

"Why are you smiling?"

She laughed lightly. "No reason."

Maybe one day, she hoped, he would smile back.

...

Matsumoto looked longingly at all the shops. She wanted to go and buy things so badly, but after trying it once, she'd discovered that her credit card had been deactivated. No doubt the work of her captain. So, it was with a heavy heart that she strolled onto the empty lot in front of a closed-down store.

Unexpectedly, a glowing door appeared about ten feet from her. She went ramrod stiff as it opened. It was surprising to know that another Shinigami was sent. It was incomprehensible to find out that it was Captain Jushiro Ukitake.

"Captain Ukitake," she gasped. "What are you doing here?"

He smiled softly. "I requested to come help with the case. The Head Captain wanted Renji to come, but I insisted."

Uh-oh, Matsumoto thought. Now they were in trouble. If another captain discovered that not only had they already found the ex-Arrancar, but were _helping_ him, they could be banned from Seireitei.

"His reiatsu has vanished," Matsumoto reported.

"Or is hidden," Ukitake hinted. "I think it is time we discussed something very important concerning the current situation."

"Yes, Captain Ukitake."

"But first," he said, "you must promise not to tell Captain Hitsugaya."

That confused Matsumoto, but she agreed nonetheless.

"Tell me the truth," Ukitake ordered. "When Captain Hitsugaya first encountered that Arrancar, he acted strangely."

Reluctantly, Matsumoto confirmed this.

"And he still behaves strangely towards it, as it does toward him?"

"Captain, how do you know this?" she asked.

He responded with another question, voice still soft. "Do you remember who it was that asked you to locate Captain Hitsugaya when he was still young?"

"You, of course," she answered.

"Have you ever heard the rumor that those who have reiatsu before they die usually make great Shinigami? Or Hollows?"

All she did was nod.

"It's true. A while back, I was sent to the real world in an old town close by due to an increase in Hollow activity. While there, I discovered two brothers who could sense when spirits were around. The older, I suspected, could partially see them. The younger was terrified of them, but the older always managed to calm him down. As I soon found out, I realized the Hollows were targeting them. After reporting this, I was ordered to keep an eye on them for a little longer.

"I stayed undercover in a gigai and tried to be friendly with the family. However, things went wrong. A large group of Hollows attacked at once and I was unable to block all of them. Neither of the boys were killed, but their father was. The older boy took the position as the head of the family. The two brothers became even closer than before, but the older was sometimes crushed by the weight of his responsibility. Then, when things were finally starting to settle down, the older was killed.

"The younger was devastated, yet knew he had to be strong. Interestingly, his brother's death spiked his abilities to the point where he could _see_ ghosts. Meanwhile, I had to chase around the spirit of the older boy, who refused to leave his brother. I couldn't catch him in time. He turned into a Hollow. Luckily, he had the sense to flee before he hurt his younger brother. It was only a month later that the younger died as well. The mother passed away from grief a week after and I was able to send both of them to Soul Society."

Matsumoto was listening intently.

"Can you guess the names of those two brothers?" Ukitake asked.

Her light blue eyes widened as comprehension dawned on her.

"That's right," he confirmed. "Katashi and Toshiro Hitsugaya. _Katashi_ now known as, I believe, Ulquiorra Schiffer."

Matsumoto was stunned. For the longest time, she could say nothing. Then, she stuttered, "They're…_brothers_?"

"Yes," Ukitake confirmed. "But we must let them figure that out on their own. When they do, I will help you accomplish whatever plan you have come up with."

Matsumoto let a smile cross her lips. "I knew there was another reason you were always so nice to Captain."

...

Hitsugaya was nothing short of stunned when he was met by Ukitake at the Urahara shop. He was even more afraid that he would be found disobeying the orders of Soul Society. Ukitake's easy laugh put him at ease.

"Relax, Captain Hitsugaya," the older captain soothed. "I'm not here to get you in trouble. Rather, I want to help."

Hitsugaya raised a confused eyebrow. "Help?"

"Soul Society sent me here because they thought you might need help 'capturing' the Arrancar. I figured something else was happening and I was correct."

Hitsugaya lowered his eyes. He was lucky that it was Ukitake who had figured this out. Anyone else would have had him stripped of his captaincy.

"Ah, I just remembered," Ukitake said. "I have something for you." He looked through the sleeves of his robe, a motion Hitsugaya had long-since come to dread. Ukitake pouted. "I must have left it behind."

Histugaya let out a sigh of relief. He couldn't _take_ any more of Ukitake's sweets. He was only lucky that half of the tenth squad had a good-sized sweet tooth.

In the corner, Urahara could be seen terrorized by the thought of having yet _another _freeloader.

Luckily, Matsumoto had news that saved him. "Oh, that reminds me! Orihime said that she felt bad so many people were here. She said she could take in a few people again."

"That's a great idea!" Urahara exclaimed.

"How about it Captain?" Matsumoto asked.

Hitsugaya went pale at the thought of Orihime's cooking again. "Uh…"

"Or we could make it a girl's night," Matsumoto suggested. "If Yoruichi wanted to come?"

Said woman looked between Matsumoto and Urahara. "Sure."

"Great! You'll love Orihime's cooking!"

On the other side of the room, Yoruichi saw Hitsugaya making cutting motions across his throat. Bad food. Nice to know.

The girls left soon after. Ukitake just hoped that Matsumoto wouldn't find a way to become drunk out of her mind and spill all of the information he'd confided in her. Although, he was happy to be able to spend time almost-alone with both Toshiro and Katashi.

Speaking of which, once Toshiro was asleep, he'd really need to talk to Katashi. Ukitake had a feeling that the ex-Arrancar already knew about Captain Hitsugaya being his brother. He wondered if Katashi remembered him as well.

...

Hitsugaya yawned, ready to settle down to sleep. He could still hear Ulquiorra shuffling around, probably reading. Everything else was silent. Scanning the room one last time, he closed his eyes.

Ukitake waited a few minutes until after he felt Hitsugaya's reiatsu calm. It meant that the boy captain was asleep. Stealthily, he crept out into the hallway and to the door he'd been told was "Ulquiorra's." Until now, he had avoided meeting the boy. He didn't want Katashi to react as badly as when Ukitake had tried sending him to Soul Society. "Kicking and screaming" just didn't cut it. There was biting, too.

Ukitake knocked softly so as not to alert anyone else.

"Come in," Katashi's voice called quietly, obviously having some respect for the sleeping occupants.

Ukitake walked in to find Katashi's face shoved in a book. One of many. In his gigai, there was little difference from when Ukitake had known the boy.

"Hello, Katashi."

Ulquiorra's head shot up. His face was priceless. It was a mix of shock and confusion never shown before by him. Ukitake laughed quietly until Ulquiorra was able to compose his expression. Quietly, he whispered, "Mr. Ukitake?"

"Ah, so you _do_ remember me," Ukitake thought.

Ulquiorra's eyes scanned the man quickly. "You haven't changed."

"I could same the same about you." Ukitake shut the door behind him, not wanting to wake the others.

"How did you know I was here?" Ulquiorra inquired.

"Trust me; you're a hard one to forget. When I saw your picture sent to Soul Society, I recognized you immediately and volunteered to come."

"Why?"

Ukitake slowly came closer. Ulquiorra did not move away or make any notion that he minded.

"I wanted to talk to you again. Mind if I sit down?"

He took Ulquiorra's silence as a 'yes'.

"First off," Ukitake began, "I wanted to say I was sorry."

"Nothing that occurred was your fault."

"Soul Reapers are responsible for every soul that turns into a Hollow on their watch. No matter how much that soul refused."

Ulquiorra remembered _that_ part. Ukitake had chased him around everywhere trying to catch him and was almost like Toshiro's guard. He'd even attended the funeral, sticking behind Toshiro the whole time. There had been only one time that Ukitake had actually been able to get a hold of him. Ulquiorra had kicked and screamed and hit the man, trying to get him to let go. It was at that time that Ukitake's illness had decided to act up on him. It made it very difficult to restrain the teen. When Ukitake had not released him, Ulquiorra bit the Shinigami as hard as he could. Such childish actions.

"Secondly," Ukitake continued, "I wanted to ask you what happened since then."

"Everything after becoming a Hollow is…unclear," Ulquiorra answered, uncomfortable with the question. "I remember being turned into an Arrancar by Aizen. I did whatever he ordered. I fought Ichigo and I died again. Somehow, I came back and awoke not far from here, surrounded by Shinigami. My zanpakto was taken while I was unconscious, but I escaped. My Arrancar abilities deteriorated until I was as you see me now. I was recaptured by…Captain Hitsugaya and brought here. That is all."

Ukitake observed how Ulquiorra paused before saying "Captain Hitsugaya." He did not press the point, though, instead wondering, "Did you ever tell Aizen your real name?"

"No."

Ukitake found that as a relief. If Aizen knew that Captain Hitsugaya and Ulquiorra were related, things might get very messy.

"Is there a third point to this?" Ulquiorra wondered.

Ukitake blinked, used to Katashi being bizarrely patient. He hardly ever hurried conversations. "No."

"May I ask a question?"

Oh, now Ukitake understood. He should have known that Ulquiorra would have wanted to know what occured in _his_ absence. "Yes."

"What happened to…Toshiro?"

It sounded like it was almost hard for Ulquiorra to say the name. Ukitake believed that Katashi/Ulquiorra, after everything he had been through, deserved to know at least that.

"He died soon after you and moved on to Soul Society."

Ulquiorra nodded. Ukitake could practically hear his thoughts. He was confirming what he'd already known. Ukitake waited for him to actually ask.

"And he became a Shinigami," Ulquiorra assumed.

Ukitake nodded, smiling gently. He had nothing but sympathy for the older brother at this point.

"It is him, then," Ulquiorra concluded, looking in Hitsugaya's general direction.

"Just be aware," Ukitake warned, "he won't remember as much as you do. But, from what I've heard, it seems like you haven't been completely forgotten. Does that make you happy?"

"I am…not sure."

"Come on, Katashi. Don't you remember what happiness is?"

The look in his eyes said it all. What has there been to be happy about?

"He didn't kill you, did he?" Ukitake mentioned. "If Toshiro didn't remember you at all, you wouldn't be here right now. I heard once that, on rare occasions, a soul might remember its past or parts of it if there was something worth remembering. Like a promise."

Ulquiorra's eyes widened a fraction of an inch, enough to let Ukitake know that there _was_ such a promise. He waited quietly, seeing if Ulquiorra would tell him. If he knew the boy at all, though, Ulquiorra would just clam up. He always was one to try solving his problems on his own.

Thinking that their conversation was over, Ukitake stood, heading to the door. He didn't expect Ulquiorra to ask, so quiet he could barely be heard, "Would it be enough to bring someone back from death?"

The captain gave Ulquiorra a warm smile. "Who knows?"

He left the room and a very troubled Ulquiorra behind him. The smile didn't fade as he set his eyes on the younger brother. Toshiro was sound asleep, arm hanging lazily off the side of the couch. Both had changed so much in so many ways, but soon enough, it would be time that they were reunited.

...

**Okay, guys, here's the deal. I'm bored. So bored that I wrote that half-crack, half-serious one-shot, "Act Your Age". So, here's what I request of you guys to kill my boredom. Come up with the craziest character combinations and I'll try to make either a one-shot or a short fic out of it. I'll probably just free-lance the genre. An example? Well, at the time of me writing this, this is the only story in the K-T category with the main characters as Ulquiorra and Hitsugaya. So, if you **_**can't**_** find anything in the K-T category with two specific characters, all the better. Anything with a very **_**low **_**number of fics works, too. I will try my best to stay **_**away**_** from crack-fics. Like I said, I'm bored and would love it if you guys presented me with a challenge.**


	9. Recaptured

**9**

**Recaptured**

While sitting around the table, eating breakfast, they seemed like a dysfunctional family.

Ulquiorra could no longer look at Toshiro. Every time he did, he'd get that uncomfortable feeling deep within his chest. He would see the Toshiro he used to know. In turn, Toshiro could no longer look at Ulquiorra. It was harder when he looked so human. Ukitake, who was not sick for once, kept his eyes on both of them.

Hitsugaya stood first, having finished. He hurriedly put away his plate and left without a word. Ulquiorra decided that he was no longer hungry and cleared his plate as well.

"Katashi," Ukitake called softly.

"Urahara asked me to go on an errand for him."

Ukitake sighed heavily as Ulquiorra ran out the door.

...

Hitsugaya had forgotten to get rid of his gigai first. This didn't bother him at the moment. He was content just to walk around. As long as it wasn't the Urahara shop.

A soccer ball rolled into his path. He looked in the direction it came from to see Karin waving and running toward him. Oh, right. He said he might play a game of soccer with her today. He didn't really _want_ to, but maybe it would help clear his head a little.

"Hey, Toshiro," she panted, smiling like crazy.

"Karin," he said with a nod.

"Did you want to play?" she asked, straightening up.

"Why not?"

...

Ulquiorra had no idea why the shop keeper would trust him with anything, but did not particularly care at the moment. He was feeling so trapped. It was times like this that he wished Orihime Inoue had never walked into his life. Because he had to take care of her and because she was there, her friends had to come and rescue her. Orihime had to make him remember what it was like to have a heart. Ichigo had to kill him. He had to come back to Earth and be thrown into this mess.

He crossed the street, recalling what Urahara said about looking out for cars first. He was still vaguely unfamiliar with how this world worked, but was getting a better impression. For instance, if a "car" hit you, it would hurt.

Ulquiorra stopped short when a black portal opened above him. A portal to Hueco Mundo. He pretended not to notice it and kept walking, as he had been earlier instructed. He was in a gigai and his reiatsu was hidden. If he did nothing to attract attention to himself, it was very possible that whoever it was would simply look over him. If he was lucky.

Hands grabbed his shoulders. Looked like he wasn't very lucky today.

"Hiding in a gigai, Ulquiorra? How very cowardly," Kaeliel taunted. Ulquiorra was shoved to the ground. D-. Kaeliel's insane grin just grew bigger. "Come out, come out. It's time to _play._" His smile faltered a little when Ulquiorra continued to do nothing. Impatient and angry, Kaeliel drew his zanpaktō. "Get up!"

Ulquiorra rose, but refused to do much other than stare at his replacement. He couldn't get out of the gigai and even if he could, he didn't have Murcielago. Kaeliel snarled and had his zanpaktō through Ulquiorra's stomach before he could blink. The blood rushed out of the open wound the moment the sword was out.

"Gonna fight me now? Or do I have to _rip_ the soul right outta you?"

Ulquiorra, now almost as pale as he was without the gigai, couldn't answer. He focused on breathing, which was becoming difficult to do. A coughing fit took over and he could taste blood.

"_Fight!_" Kaeliel demanded, raising his zanpaktō again. He swung. Ulquiorra was barely able to dodge in time. The blade scraped his arm. More blood. His white shirt was quickly becoming red. Another shot was taken at Ulquiorra's side. Black clung to the edges of his vision as he cursed the weakness of the gigai. Finally fed up with Ulquiorra's resistance to take action, Kaeliel pierced Ulquiorra's chest with his bare hand. Roughly, he pulled back, dragging Ulquiorra's very soul out as well. Kaeliel's demonic grin widened again. Cackling, he threw back the bloody and beaten gigai. It fell to the street, nothing more than a corpse.

The damage showed on Ulquiorra's spirit as well. However, the increased level of power he had in this form stopped him from losing consciousness. He gave Kaeliel his version of a glare. The purple-haired monster only laughed at him, opening another portal to Hueco Mundo.

"Let's go, Ulquiorra. Aizen has been _very_ anxious to see you again."

...

An alarm rang in the Urahara shop. The owner recognized it immediately and rushed over to a small machine.

"What's going on?" Jinta wondered, entering the room with Ururu and Ukitake.

Kiske Urahara's eyes were wide under the shade of his hat. "Ulquiorra has escaped from his gigai."

...

The sun shone brightly on two children playing soccer in the open, grassy field. For Hitsugaya, it was too hot out for pleasure, but he kicked the ball in the net nonetheless. Karin caught her breath behind him.

"How the heck do you _do_ that?" she asked.

A buzzing cut him off from saying anything. He picked up his soul pager. "Yes?"

"Captain Hitsugaya," Urahara answered on the other end, "you have to come quick! Ulquiorra has escaped!"

"I'm on my way."

"Toshiro?" Karin asked tentatively.

He looked at her once and vanished.

...

Urahara, Yoruichi, Matsumoto, Orihime, and Ukitake pulled up to the scene first. Hitsugaya appeared a second after them. The group stared in shock at the bloody mess that had been Ulquiorra Schiffer. Urahara bent down to inspect the body.

"The device was broken," he informed. "And there's traces of another reiatsu."

"Kaeliel," Hitsugaya whispered, recognizing it at once.

Urahara looked at the small captain seriously. "Another Arrancar?"

"Kaeliel Aratashi. Ulquiorra Schiffer's replacement. The one who attacked last time."

"Judging from the wounds and that information, I'd say it was this Kaeliel who removed Ulquiorra's soul," Urahara concluded.

"What should we do?" Matsumoto asked, casting a side glance at Orihime. Ukitake could also see how she was figuring in that Ulquiorra was her captain's older brother.

"He's an Arrancar. Or used to be," Hitsugaya said flatly. "He's not worth the trouble."

"I'm going," Orihime stated.

"Are you crazy?" Hitsugaya reprimanded. "You're the one he wanted before! This could just be a trick to get you back."

"But…" she argued weakly, head dropping, "I couldn't save him the last time. I want to be able to this time."

Matsumoto laid a hand on Orihime's shoulder. "We can't save everyone, Orihime. And we can't risk losing you again."

"He shouldn't have been alive in the first place," Hitsugaya reasoned coldly. "I doubt Aizen will keep him alive."

Ukitake wanted to scream, "He's you're brother!" However, he understood the gravity of the situation. They'd suffered plenty on their last trip to Las Noches. Any good captain would not sacrifice more of his men for the sake of someone who had just ceased being an enemy. No matter how much Katashi's death would bother him, he could not say a word. Especially not to Toshiro, who it would hurt even more. If Katashi died, Ukitake would have to make sure that Toshiro would never find out. For his sake.

A new voice filled the air. "Huh, so who finally took down the ba-?"

Rukia arrived then and smacked him upside the head. She pointed to Orihime, who had her head turned away from them all, including the beaten gigai. Ichigo's frown deepened. D-.

"An Arrancar called Kaeliel Aratashi," Hitsugaya informed for the second time. "We think he may have taken…Ulquiorra back to Hueco Mundo."

Ichigo took in the way Orihime was struggling not to cry. "I take it you're just going to leave him, then?"

"What other choice do we have?"

"I'll go," he volunteered, eyes not leaving Orihime.

"Ichigo," Rukia gasped.

"I promised that I wouldn't let Orihime get hurt again," Ichigo told her quietly. "Even if it means bringing back Ulquiorra."

"You barely made it out alive last time," she stated.

"Yeah, but I'll bet Aizen's army needs some work after the damage _we_ caused."

She saw how serious he was and nodded grudgingly. "I'll go, too."

Ichigo knew better than to protest. He announced to Captain Hitsugaya, "We're both going."

Matsumoto looked between Orihime and her captain. Ulquiorra's absence made Orihime sad and Hitsugaya would never forgive himself if he found out he'd let his brother die again. "Captain, with your permission…"

Hitsugaya sighed. "Could I stop you if I tried?"

She smiled. "Thank you."

"I will accompany them," Ukitake announced.

"No," Hitsugaya answered. "I'm sorry, but with your condition, I would not want anything going wrong in Las Noches. I will go."

Ukitake restrained a small smile. At least, if anyone were to be saving Katashi, it would be Toshiro. This way, there would be no regrets. "Understood."

"I'll start up the gate," Urahra sighed.

...

Kaeliel dragged Ulquiorra into a very large, very familiar room. At the head sat at man with brown hair and brown eyes, deceitfully handsome.

"Hello…_Ulquiorra._"


	10. Our Wounds

**10**

**Our Wounds**

Ulquiorra was momentarily paralyzed by a blast of reiatsu directed solely at him by Aizen. Breathless, he was forced to the ground. Kaeliel held back a laugh at seeing the former fourth Espada on his knees with his head bent. His head that was missing a partial Hollow mask.

Aizen rose from his seat to stand directly in front of Ulquiorra. He cut the reiatsu flow, letting the ex-Arrancar breathe again. Green-blue eyes stared up at him, wide open and more expressive than Aizen had ever seen them. That was soon fixed, Ulquiorra trying to compose his expression as a mental defense mechanism. Feeling. Expression. They were only hindrances.

"You survived," the man stated, his unnervingly calm smile never leaving. "Amazing. Although, you are no longer an Arrancar. Explain that."

"I do not know how," Ulquiorra mumbled.

Aizen found it strange how much his subordinate had changed. His reiatsu had weakened incredibly and he looked half-way human. Yet, Aizen could still feel that Hollow lurking somewhere inside of Uquiorra. If he could only find a way to bring it out.

"Stand," he ordered. Ulquiorra stood. "Where is your zanpaktō?"

"It was taken," Ulquiorra replied quietly.

"By who?"

"Shinigami."

"Where is your mask?"

"Gone."

"How?"

"It fell apart."

"Your Hollow hole?"

"Also gone."

Ulquiorra was stunned when Aizen grabbed his wrist. He waited for the pain or for death. Surely, Aizen was silently infuriated with him. Disgraced. Instead, there was only a slight tingle. Ulquiorra tried not to let his surprise show.

"Kaeliel," Aizen called, dropping Ulquiorra's wrist.

"Yes?" the insane Espada answered.

"I believe it would do to have you keep an eye on Ulquiorra. He is to be held in the same room as our other guest. Understood?"

Kaeliel made a face, but agreed. "Right away."

Ulquiorra was immediately led away. As he walked down the halls, he could feel all eyes on him. None of the faces looked familiar. Where had everyone gone? Were they all dead?

Kaeliel shoved Ulquiorra into a dark room. The exact same room that Orihime used to inhabit. In it was a young girl, maybe his age. She stared blankly out the window, not even bothered by their presence.

"I'll be back later," Kaeliel muttered, slamming the door shut.

Ulquiorra stared at the girl for quite some time before she finally turned to look at him.

"You…" she said, "…are Ulquiorra, right?"

Ulquiorra nodded, trying to remember where he had seen her before. She looked so sad and lost. Of course, without his emotionless mask, he would look the same. She nodded to him. "You don't feel like an Arrancar anymore."

"I'm not."

"Are you a prisoner here, too?"

"I suppose I am."

She gave him another nod. "You used to be the fourth Espada."

Her tone was very odd. Still, Ulquiorra answered her questions. "Yes."

"…Ichigo killed you."

Ulquiorra took a breath, trying not to relive that moment. What was more important was how this girl knew all of this. "Who are you?"

"My name…is Nel."

...

Ichigo growled. "I almost forgot how freaking _annoying_ all of this sand is."

Hitsugaya tried to ignore the orange-haired idiot, instead focusing on the journey. It seemed that Las Noches remained impossibly far away, never growing closer. If they didn't get there soon, he was going to burst a vein from his pure irritation with Ichigo. Already, he had a major headache.

Matsumoto shivered next to him. "Captain…"

"Sorry," he muttered, controlling his reiatsu again. This whole mess made it harder to keep a hold on all of that power. It was leaking out more often. People might not notice it so much if it didn't nearly freeze them to death.

Matsumoto put a hand on his shoulder and smiled. He rolled his eyes and shook free of her.

"Yo, Toshiro, what's with the cold?" Ichigo called.

"That's _Captain Hitsugaya,_" the young boy snapped, ignoring the latter part of the question.

'_How long are you going to keep up this attitude?' _Hyorinmaru asked him.

'_How should I know?'_ Hitsugaya snapped.

'_Testy, aren't we?'_

Hitsugaya mentally snarled.

'_I am only trying to help,'_ his zanpaktō assured. _'Remember, what affects you…'_

'_Affects you, too,' _Hitsugaya finished. _'I know.'_

'_Would you have felt better if you'd not gone on the mission?'_

'_I could lose my captaincy and all respect from Soul Society by doing this. I could be banned from Seireitei.'_

'_That was not the question.'_

Hitsugaya remained silent.

'_You would have regretted not going.'_

'_That creature has nothing to do with me,' _the boy denied.

If Hyorinmaru could smirk, he was undoubtedly smirking now. _'You don't believe that.'_

'_Yes, I do.'_

'_Toshiro Hitsugaya, I am part of you. I know all that you know and can feel all that you feel. It is pointless to lie.'_

'…_Shut up.'_

Hyorinmaru gave up with a sigh. Retreating, he called, _'Remember what I said.'_

Hitsugaya wanted to slam his head into something. Stupid, obnoxious zanpaktō.

...

Kaeliel barged in through the door, two lesser Arrancar trailing submissively behind him, holding trays. Ulquiorra and Nel turned their way. The girl's eyes went soft.

"Peshe. Dondochakka," she whispered.

They nodded sadly to her, bringing forth the trays and setting them on the low table.

"Eat up, brats," Kaeliel ordered. "Humph. Don't know why I got stuck watchin' you two. It's not like you're useful for anything."

"Kae shouldn't be so mean," Nel said quietly.

His eyes flashed with fury. "My name is _not_ Kae! If you wanna chop off the ending of your name, knock yourself out. But my name is Kaeliel and you will call me so!"

At the end, he was grabbing her by the hair and shaking her. Peshe and Dondochakka stepped forward as if to help her, but Kaeliel stuck a hand out.

"Don't move any closer or I'll use cero on you both."

They were forced to stand back and watch. Kaeliel gave Nel one last shake before letting go and strutting to the door.

"Make sure they finish," he commanded Pesche and Dondochakka.

They nodded and stood still as the door slammed. One second passed. Two. Three.

Nel jumped and ran to hug her friends tearfully.

"Nel," the both sobbed.

Ulquiorra looked silently on. It was easy to tell that the three held some sort of close tie. They made up a very odd group. Nel was a female Arrancar his age with some good reiatsu. Espada-like reiatsu. A mask in the shape of a skull was placed on her head, over the light blue-green waves of hair. Under wide grey-green eyes was a large, dark red face marking, intercepted by a vertical scar on her forehead. She dressed in a typical Arrancar uniform.

The one that Ulquiorra had come to recognize as "Peshe" was very odd indeed. A very skinny creature with a long, pale face, characterized by golden hair and eyes. Not one patch of mask was to be seen on his face. A purple sash was tied around his waist, over the Arrancar clothes, and his zanpaktō was tucked neatly into it.

On the other hand, Dondochakka was monstrous in size. His uniform was stretched tightly over his mass, including white gloves on his enormous hands. Even his face seemed big. The eyes were darkly colored with red face markings around them. To match, he had scruffy dark red hair that made him seem like he desperately needed a haircut. Again, no mask fragment was to be found.

Ulquiorra had begun to wonder if these two were like himself. If they had Hollow holes, they were covering them. The only thing was that they still _felt_ like Arrancar. Nel had been able to tell right off the bat that he wasn't one anymore.

"Pesche, Dondochakka," Nel said, "This is Ulquiorra."

He nodded in their direction. Their eyes went wide and they backed away for a second. "Espada!"

Ulquiorra tried not to let the pang of sad reminiscence show. "You are mistaken," he informed. "I am no longer an Espada. Nor am I an Arrancar."

They studied him carefully. Pesche was the one who noticed, "Your mask is gone. Was it removed?"

"It…deteriorated," Ulquiorra informed.

Dondochakka nodded. "Ours were torn off. We were formerly the Fracción of Nel."

Ulquiorra nodded at them sullenly. The hugging made sense now.

"They've been forced to serve Kaeliel," Nel added. "He's even worse than Nnotria."

Finally, a name Ulquiorra recognized. "Speaking of which, do you know where all of the other Espada went?"

This seemed to shock the three. Nel's mouth was agape. "You don't know?"

"No. I have been…absent."

"They were killed."

Ulquiorra tried to comprehend that. All of them? He'd known a few were murdered by Kurosaki's group, but he hadn't know just how many. He closed his eyes for a moment, organizing his mind. "How many have been replaced?"

"Four," Nel answered. She took a step forward, cautious. "They thought you died, too."

Ulquiorra chose not to explain.

"You should probably eat now," Pesche suggested. "If you don't, Kaeliel will get violent again."

Nel nodded, sitting on the couch. She started eating her food with a measured pace. After a minute, she looked up at Ulquiorra. "You're not eating."

"I am not hungry," he stated. "Take my portion if you wish."

"You'll get sick if you don't eat," she urged. "Especially since you must have been in a battle recently."

The ex-Arrancar had almost forgotten that he was still covered in blood. It was even worse because his regeneration was slowed. Although, this was probably the reason he wasn't hungry in the first place.

She frowned. "Orihime told me that you used to threaten to force feed her when she wouldn't eat."

Ulquiorra may have furrowed his brow at this, or thought of doing it, but it was impossible to tell. "The situation was different."

Nel shook her head. "Nuh-uh. Come down here or I might try it."

"What makes you think that you could accomplish such a thing?"

A mischievous smirk suddenly lit her face. "Because you may be the former fourth Espada, but I'm the former third Espada."

Giving in to her logic, Ulquiorra kneeled on the other side of the low table. He picked at the food, wrinkling his nose with distaste. Just the smell made him feel like he was going to be sick. Slowly, he took a small bite. Just as he thought, he felt ready to throw it back up. He choked down the feeling and pushed the plate away.

"There, I ate."

Finishing her own plate, Nel sighed and started to pick at the one he hadn't finished. "It's not that bad, you know."

He watched her eat silently. Not two seconds after she'd finished, Kaeliel made his entry.

"Finsihed yet?"

Nel nodded.

Kaeliel glared at Pesche and Dondochakka. "Then what are you two morons waiting for?"

Hurriedly, they gathered the plates and rushed out the door. Kaeliel frowned at Nel and Ulquiorra for a second. He tossed a white bundle to the latter. "I could care less whether you walk around in bloody clothes. Aizen thinks otherwise. So shut up and get changed. I'll be back later."

Ulquiorra didn't complain as he headed to the bathroom to get out of his destroyed uniform. He was only able to change half-way, as he found a grotesque red mess covering his torso. Blood was smeared all over him. It was even worse that the gashes that had created those smears were still there as well. He touched one gingerly, the sting instant. He tried washing them off first, but new blood replaced the old.

A knock sounded on the door. "Ulquiorra," Nel asked, "are you okay?"

In response, he said, "Where are the bandages?"

"In the right cabinet."

He pulled them out, trying to wrap the wounds. He'd never had to do this before. The injuries always healed right away. Thus, he was failing miserably.

"Do you need help?" Nel wondered. At his silence, she continued, "Can I come in?"

She was actually surprised when the door unlocked. Carefully, she opened it. Blood was all over the place and Ulquiorra had managed to half-strangle himself with the bandages. It wasn't a very pretty sight. Also, she noticed that he was pretty skinny, his ribs showing through a little. On his left side, a large "4" was tattooed.

"You don't have much experience with bandaging, do you?"

He scowled, not putting forth the effort to hide his emotions. She smiled lightly at him, making a slow approach. Unwrapping his attempt, she asked, "Did you use disinfectant?"

He looked at her blankly.

"I'll take that as a 'no'." She pulled out a small bottle and a cloth. She poured some liquid onto the cloth and put it close to his skin. "It's going to sting." As she dabbed, Ulquiorra discovered that, yes, it _did_ sting. He bit the inside of his lip and tried to ignore it. After a while, she stopped and started to unroll the gauze. The pressure was unwelcomed, but the way Nel did it let Ulquiorra know she was experienced. "Done."

Ulquiorra nodded at her, but then remembered something. Holding back his old Espada habits, he said, "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

He slipped his coat on carefully, trying not to brush the fresh wounds. When he finished, he noticed she was staring. Before he could ask her why, she spoke up.

"You don't have a Hollow hole."

"Not anymore."

"How?"

He gazed at her tiredly. "Why?"

"Because I don't want to be an Arrancar anymore."


	11. Fight For Your Life

**11**

**Fight For Your Life**

Every single member of the rescue team had collapsed. They'd run until they couldn't run anymore. Reluctantly, they were forced to take a quick rest. Rukia, Ichigo, and Matsumoto had all fallen asleep. Hitsugaya volunteered to keep watch. In one hour, he'd wake them all up so they could head out again.

"Captain," Matsumoto said, waking up.

"Yes?"

"You should sleep."

Hitsugaya frowned. "Someone has to watch for Hollows."

"I'll keep watch," she said.

He raised an eyebrow. "Matsumoto, since when do you volunteer to do work?"

"Since you look like you need the rest," she answered. "Just go to sleep."

"But…" he tried to protest, only to have her push his head down onto her lap. "_Matsumoto…_"

"Go to sleep."

She wouldn't let him argue, stroking his snowy hair. In no time, he was lost to his dreams. She smiled, knowing how tired he must have been. She'd always had to take care of Toshiro Hitsugaya. He didn't know how to do what was best for him sometimes. It was Matsumoto's job to force him.

In ten minutes, Ichigo and Rukia were waking up. Ichigo blinked at the scene. "Toshiro's…asleep?"

"Shhh," Matsumoto reprimanded.

Rukia smiled at the sight. "I take it this is your doing?"

The strawberry blonde nodded. Carefully, she stood, shifting Hitsugaya to the ground. Then, just as carefully, she picked him up into her arms.

"You're just going to carry him?" Ichigo wondered.

"Captain needs to sleep more," Matsumoto informed.

Rukia giggled, finding the sleeping captain so impossibly _cute_. Besides, she agreed with Matsumoto. Hitsugaya _deserved _a little more sleep.

...

"Bed time" had come in Hueco Mundo and was announced to the two prisoners by Kaeliel Aratashi, who promptly slammed the door after exiting. Nel slept on the couch, not making a noise. Ulquiorra stared out the window, sitting against the side closest to Nel's head. She'd begged him to, saying she didn't want to feel alone again. Currently, her hand hung limply off the edge, long hair splayed around her.

At least Toshiro was safe, he thought. If Kaeliel had tried to attack his younger brother again…Ulquiorra tried not to think too hard on it. It gave him that uncomfortable feeling in his chest again. The one that let him know he still had a vicious monster somewhere inside of him.

Behind him, Nel shifted. A soft sigh escaped her lips. Ulquiorra only wished he could sleep as soundly.

Noises started out in the hall. They got louder and closer. Before Ulquiorra knew what was happening, Kaeliel knocked down the door, furious. His eyes had that crazy gleam again as they searched the room. They locked onto his and the Espada stomped over to him, waking up Nel. She looked confused and wary.

Kaeliel gripped Ulquiorra's hair, pulling so that the lesser being stood. He punched Ulquiorra square in the jaw.

"Ulquiorra!" Nel shouted, scared for her roommate.

"I don't know how you did it," Kaeliel growled, slamming Ulquiorra against a wall, "but I'm gonna make you wish you d- hadn't." Another fist connected, this time going for Ulquiorra's eye. Then for his jaw again, causing blood to dribble out. Nel screamed as Ulquiorra was further beaten.

"You stupid idiot!" Kaeliel raged, tossing Ulquiorra by the front of his jacket. The thin man landed roughly on the ground, gasping and choking on his own blood. Kaeliel pressed his foot against Ulquiorra's ribcage, threatening to break some of the bones. "Tell me, how did your little freak friends find out where you were? Huh? _Tell me!_"

Ulquiorra gasped as the man's foot pressed harder.

"Stop it!" Nel screamed, running forward. A cero from Kaeliel sent her crashing against the wall.

Seeing this, that tugging sensation within Ulquiorra started again, only stronger. A pulse ran through him, making everything burn. His body shook, pain exploding from the left side of his face.

"What the-?" Kaeliel exclaimed. White material had started to form around Ulquiorra's face. Kaeliel stepped off the creature and drew his zanpaktō. "Whatever you're doing, quit it!"

Reiastsu blasted outward from Ulquiorra, the growing mask already covering half of his face. He stood, looking absolutely animalistic. Kaeliel charged forward to tear into the creature with his sword, but Ulquiorra easily blocked it with his hand and proceeded to throw Kaeliel across the room. A cero formed at Ulquiorra's fingertips, ready to obliterate his replacement. The mask had completely covered his face.

The cero fired. Kaeliel was barely able to sonido out of the way in time. He appeared behind Ulquiorra and struck the man with his zanpaktō. Ulquiorra deflected the blade, but not before the front of the jacket was sliced open. At the base of his neck, an indent was forming, growing deeper and deeper. A Hollow hole.

Ulquiorra screamed then, collapsing to his knees and trying to pull off the mask. This gave Kaeliel the ample opportunity to strike at him, blowing away a nice sized chunk. One of Ulquiorra's eyes could be seen now. He continued to pull until most of his face could be seen. Another hit from Kaeliel brought off the left side of Ulquiorra's mask. For just a moment, he looked like an Arrancar again. However, the mask seemed determined to win, growing back quickly.

Now on the floor, Ulquiorra's mind flashed back to the trinket given to him at the Urahara shop. He'd put it in his new clothes, not wanting any other Arrancar to find it, and pulled it out at this moment. Somehow, he managed to get it around his neck.

The change was instant. Control returned and Ulquiorra felt he could breathe again. The remaining Hollow mask broke apart and shattered on the floor. Ulquiorra was left there, panting.

Clapping echoed from the doorway.

"Good show," Aizen commented, entering the room. He smirked at Ulquiorra. "Looks like you may have a purpose after all."

...

When the white-haired boy finally woke up, the group had a very irritated captain on their hands. He pouted at having been treated like a child. Matsumoto should have just wakened him up, he said. During the whole rant, he'd had to stop his face from turning red.

"At least we're almost there," Matsumoto stated, looking toward the castle that was no more than half a mile away. In Shinigami traveling time, that equaled about two minutes.

Hitsugaya was trying to formulate a plan in his head as they ran. They couldn't just barge in. On the previous "rescue mission," Aizen had already known they were coming. It would most likely be the same case now. Also, they had no idea how many Espada Aizen had. Would it be possible to have recreated all ten in such a short amount of time? Or would they be facing less? Hopefully, it was the second. Maybe then they could breeze right in, knock out a few Arrancar, and leave with Kata-_Ulquiorra_ before getting into another serious war.

Hitsugaya pulled out of his thoughts as they reached the wall.

"We need to go higher," he announced. "We can't waste our time on petty fights with lower Arrancar."

Agreeing, they all jumped into the air, bounding up the side. Half-way to the top, they decided it would be a good spot and prepared to blow a hole in the wall.

Only to have it blow up on them first. Out of it came a dark-haired man in an Arrancar uniform, a diamond mask fragment on his forehead. The number "3" was tattooed on his left cheek. He held out his zanpaktō, looking bored. "Let's get this over with, shall we? Detonate, Bombardeo!"

...

"Ulquiorra?" Nel whispered, watching the man carefully as he stared out the window. Slowly, she went to sit beside him. "What happened?"

Instead of answering, he fiddled with the pendant around his neck. It rested exactly where his Hollow hole had been and almost was again.

She frowned at his silence. Suddenly, a burst of reiatsu struck. Nel's face lightened at once. "Ichigo!"

'_Why would Kurosaki be here?_' Ulquiorra wondered. Is that what Kaeliel meant by his "little freak friends?" Focusing, he tried to find any other familiar reiatsu. His mind filtered out the ones of the new Espada he'd had as of yet to meet (and was beginning to hope he never really did). Then, _there._ He felt a small group of Shinigami traveling. He could sense that girl that always accompanied Ichigo. Close by was the woman he'd come to know as "Matsumoto." There was one other.

If it was possible for him to go pale, he would have. Toshiro. Toshiro was there. Why? Ulquiorra would have felt much better if the boy had just stayed back in the human world. Even returning to Soul Society sounded better. He didn't want his younger brother in Las Noches!

Despite the pendant around his neck, working to help his control, Ulquiorra felt his Hollow side gnawing at him. If Kaeliel or _any_ Espada so much as _touched_ Toshiro….The monster growled. Ulquiorra gripped the device tighter.

It was at that moment that Kaeliel came to fetch both of them. "Aizen wants you."

...

Hitsguaya dodged one of the many ceros fired by the new Tercera Espada. It turned out, in his release, he was like a machinegun. He was covered in spiky white armor, the tips firing out multiple ceros at his will. Ichigo had already switched to bankai.

"Keep going!" he shouted. "I'll meet up with you in a minute." He flashed to a spot behind the Espada, slamming his sword into the man's back. A cero shot him into one of the walls.

With a curt nod, the group ran on.

"So, _Elgro Nivski,_" Ichigo hissed, "can you deal with what you dish out?"

Ichigo pulled on his Hollow mask. _Now,_ the fight began.

...

The remainder of the group ran as fast as they could through the winding hallways of Las Noches. Two more Arrancar stepped in front of them. They were identical. Both were slim with dark silver hair, tiny devil-like horns peaking out of it. The only difference seemed to be that the one on the left wore a black chain around his neck and the one on the right wore a golden chain. They smiled impishly, violet eyes sparkling.

"Hello, Shinigami," they greeted in unison. "We are Ira and Ari Tenta."

Sharing a look, Rukia and Matsumoto released shikai.

"Growl, Haineko!"

"Dance, Sode no Shirayuki!"

Ice began to cover the entire area. Ira and Ari jumped off the wall and out of the way. A trail of razor-like dust followed them. They looked at each other and then back at the three Shinigami. They pointed their zanpaktō and called out their true forms.

"Shine, Iluminai!"

"Devour, Oscuro!"

They grinned, as their horns grew, white stretching out from them to make helmets. A purple triangle appeared under the left eye of the twin on the left; an orange triangle under the right eye of twin on the right. Black armor covered the left's torso, white for the right's. Their zanpaktōs curved and split into two, attaching themselves to the forearms of the twins.

"Well, Ari," the white twin said, "should we…_dispose_ of these lowly creatures?"

"Yes, I believe we should," the black one agreed.

As they prepared to charge forward, Hitsugaya whispered, "Sit upon the frozen heavens, _Hyorinmaru!_"

The ice dragon flew out of the tip of the captain's sword, hurling itself at the twins. They barely moved aside in time as it sped in between them.

"How unpleasant," Ari commented.

"Rude, really," Ira added.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Ari asked as the ice dragon sped back toward them, ice covering the halls. A deadly razor dust swirled around it like an aura.

"I believe I am, brother."

They stood side by side, swords stretched out in front of them towards the approaching attacks. "Division of Light and Dark, combine again. Multiply your power!" The zanpaktō sparkled; black and white static. The energies swirled around each other, shooting forward. Hyorinmaru's great jaw opened just in time for the attack to strike. It shattered into billions of pieces, nothing but icy dust. The twins sneered.

"You can't defeat us," they said haughtily.

"First dance," Rukia breathed, "white moon!"

Confused, the twins looked down just in time to see a pillar of ice shoot upward at them. They were frozen there as a final command from Rukia caused the ice to shatter. Seeing that their enemies were taken care of, the three ran away. Hitsugaya sheathed Hyorinmaru, hand accidentally brushing against the second zanpaktō he carried: Murcielago. His hand tingled, but he forgot about it and kept running.

"Hm, not bad," Ari commented from around the corner from which the recue team ran. He was back to normal.

"Not bad at all," Ira said, also back to normal. "It's too bad they couldn't tell that we switched out with duplicates near the end."

"There _is_ a reason we're the Primera and Segunda Espada," Ari noted. "So what do you say?"

"Let's let them go," Ira answered. "It's no fun if we just kill them now."

They linked arms and turned around, showing the numbers labeled on their shoulders. Ira was 1, Ari was 2. But as they strolled off down the hall, away from the Shinigami, their numbers switched.

...

Ulquiorra bowed his head as he was brought into the presence of a smiling Aizen. Nel followed uncertainly behind. Outside, Kaeliel stood watch.

"Ulquiorra," Aizen started, "how would you feel about regaining your Arrancar abilities?"

Ulquiorra didn't answer, not quite sure himself. He felt more _whole_ now than he did as an Arrancar, but there were so many drawbacks. And as an Arrancar, he had much more control over his Hollow side.

"Lord Aizen asked ya a question," Gin prompted.

In the end, Ulquiorra decided to answer what he knew Aizen would want to hear. "I would be very grateful."

Aizen's grin grew and he stepped down from his throne. "Kneel," he ordered Ulquiorra. Hesitantly, Ulquiorra did so. The man displayed, in the palm of his hand, a dark orb. The Hogyoku. Aizen removed the pendant from around Ulquiorra's neck, making the ex-Arrancar stiffen.

Nel looked away, unable to watch Ulquiorra lose his humanity. Slowly, the object was brought closer to Ulquiorra. He felt his hands tighten and the Hollow within him growl with longing. It wasn't reassuring that Aizen motioned for Gin to hold him still. Tousen was told to keep a hand on Nel, just in case she tried to interrupt the process.

Ulquiorra held his breath, feeling like he was about to be executed.

...

The rescue team approached the large doors of the main assembly room. From another hallway, Ichigo slid into their path. A cut on his head was bleeding, but he ignored it.

"Prepare for a battle," Hitsugaya warned. They were less than ten feet from the door when an Arrancar jumped down from above. Hitsugaya growled. "Kaeliel Aratashi."

The man grinned. "Miss me, Little Captain?"

"It's four against one," Hitsguaya stated. "Your comrades have already been taken care of."

Kaeliel swung his zanpaktō lazily in one hand. "You're trying to rescue Ulquiorra, right? I'll make you a deal. One on one, Little Captain. You last three minutes, I'll let you all through."

"Why?" Hitsugaya asked suspiciously.

"We didn't get to finish our last fight. Besides, I'd be more than happy if you took Ulquiorra the h- out of here. Let 'im be someone else's problem."

"You're afraid he'll take your place, huh?" Ichigo taunted.

"That weakling? No way!" Kaeliel denied. "I just don't like him. So, what do you say?"

"Fine," Hitsgaya agreed.

"Then draw," Kaeliel challenged, taking out his own zanpaktō.

"Sit upon the frozen heavens, Hyorinmaru!" Hitsugaya commanded. The ice dragon formed and charged toward Kaeliel. The Cuatra Espada jumped out of the way.

"C'mon, go bankai!" he urged. "Make it a real fight."

With a growl, Hitsugaya shouted, "Bankai!" Icy wings sprung from his back and icy claws covered his feet.

Kaeliel smirked. "That's more like it. Execute, Venganza!"


	12. Fight to the Death

**12**

**Fight to the Death**

_Kaeliel smirked. "That's more like it. Execute, Venganza!"_

The group watched intently as blades appeared on his shoulders and his sandals transformed into boots with spiked tips. His fingernails were transformed into sharp metal. Razors even grew out of his forearms, slicing away the black wrappings. His usually mud-colored eyes burned as red as blood.

Not hesitating, Hitsugaya flung himself forward, causing ice to shoot around the Espada. He dodged easily and every time the ice _did_ touch him, it was shredded by the blades. Hitsugaya tried an attack similar to the one Rukia had just used, encasing the whole area in ice. This held Kaeliel off for maybe a minute before a cero broke through the trap. He grinned, throwing himself forward on the offense. About three feet from hitting Hitsugaya, he used sonido to strike from a different angle. Blood spurted out Hitsugaya's side as the blade made contact. However, Kaeliel didn't move fast enough to escape Hitsugaya's zanpaktō and received a similar wound.

Kaeliel grinned, watching the blood drip. "Good job, Little Captain," he laughed. "It's been three minutes and you're still alive." He landed, changing back into his regular form. He sat by the side of the door. "Just make sure you don't let that guy get captured again. I don't wanna have to deal with him."

Hitsugaya, Matsumoto, Ichigo, and Rukia ran in through the doors. They were shocked to see the scene in front of them. From their point of view, it appeared as if Gin was holding down Ulquiorra while Aizen approached the ex-Arrancar with the Hogyoku. Everyone's heads raised as they barged in.

"Aizen," Hitsugaya growled, showing his utter disdain for the man in front of him.

He smiled calmly. "Ah, Captain Hitsugaya. What a surprise to see you again. Now, what could all of you possibly want here?"

"Give Ulquiorra back," Ichigo barked.

"I'm afraid I can't do that," he answered. "Besides, Ulquiorra does not wish to leave. If I remember correctly, he was being held prisoner by you. Isn't that right, Ulquiorra?"

"Yes, Lord Aizen," he answered submissively. "They should just leave while they can."

Ulquiorra knew full well that what he was doing was self-sacrifice, but there was no way he was going to let Toshiro die at Aizen's hands. Ulquiorra despised the way this _softer_ half had come out. All because of the little brat. His mind was confused and in turmoil. He liked it better when there were just simple orders and no emotional ties involved. Now everything was messed up and it _hurt._

"He's lying!" Nel cried, struggling in Tousen's hold

"Nel?" Ichigo gasped, finally noticing the Arrancar girl.

She smiled at him half-tearfully. "Hey, Ichigo."

Ichigo sprung new determination. "Not only did you take Ulquiorra, but Nel as well?" He pulled out Zangetsu. "Aizen, I'll warn you once to let both of them go."

Aizen raised an eyebrow. "Do you think you can stop me? Stop us?"

"We can sure as h- try!"

Before Ichigo could so much as twitch, his zanpaktō was flung out of his hands by none other than Aizen. Aizen then proceeded to let loose a wave of reiatsu that had them all crumbling to the ground. Captain Hitsugaya seemed to try particularly hard to stand. In response, Aizen backhanded him.

Ulquiorra's eyes went wide at seeing his brother being hurt. Being hurt by freaking _Lord Aizen_. The bloodthirsty Hollow within him growled again, rising to the surface. Aizen kicked Toshiro in the side, making a point of how weak the boy was compared to him. Breathing for Ulquiorra got harder. He finally couldn't hold it back anymore.

The white mask slid easily across Ulquiorra's face with no resistance. In a millisecond, Ulquiorra's hands grabbed onto what seemed like thin air, but was in fact the real Aizen, who appeared quickly after being partially strangled by the enraged older brother. The fake vanished.

"I can see past your illusions, _Aizen_," Ulquiorra hissed out through the mask, his tone infused with a low growl. "I refuse to be fooled by you any longer." A Gran Rey Cero charged in Ulquiorra's hands, starting to burn the skin around Aizen's neck. Luckily for the man, Gin drove his sword into Ulquiorra, forcing him to let go. Blood spilled out of the former Espada, yet he refused to back down. Instead, he grabbed Gin's sword and pulled it out of his own flesh, then turned to strike Gin with it. The silver-haired man found himself lucky that it only grazed his skin. He appeared to the side of Ulquiorra and stole the sword back quickly.

Aizen thrust the Hogyoku into the back of Ulquiorra's skull. The hollowfied man froze, his whole being burning and shaking as his mask began to chip away. He screamed, the fragments crashing to the ground in larger chunks. It finally stopped falling, revealing the half-helmet that Ulquiorra had before. His open collar revealed his Hollow hole, exactly where it should be.

Aizen expected that once he did this, Ulquiorra would be temporarily incapacitated and easy to form to his will. Such was not so. Instead, Ulquiorra came back with an even stronger cero immediately, blasting the man across the room. The reiatsu he was giving off was insane, but dropped as he collapsed to the floor, exhausted.

Aizen smirked and stood. "Looks like that's all you had left. Unfortunately, that's not all I have on _my_ side."

The recue team prepared for a fight, zanpaktō grasped tightly. Aizen snapped and a door opened. A dark figure stepped down the hallway, his features slowly being illuminated. Everyone's eyes widened.

Grimmjow Jaggerjaquez.

Even Ulquiorra, exhausted as he was, couldn't help but look the slightest bit surprised by this development. He'd assumed Grimmjow was dead and, judging from their expressions, so did everyone else. Yet, here he was, looking just as he had. There was only one exception. Grimmjow's left arm was still in his release form.

Grimmjow looked sullenly at Ulquiorra. "Not dead, I see."

"Neither are you," Ulquiorra replied as calmly as he could.

"Grimmjow," Aizen called, "it seems we have more intruders." At this, he pointed out the rescue team. "Do take care of them."

Grimmjow nodded, flaring his reiatsu to a level that was above what Grimmjow had ever accomplished before. His jacket flared and on his back, Ulquiorra could make out the number "0."

In a flash, Grimmjow was in front of the small group and holding Ichigo up by the front of his shirt. Instead of looking pleased, though, Grimmjow looked impassive.

"I thought I killed you," Ichigo choked out.

"No, you almost killed me," Grimmjow answered. "Lord Aizen brought me back and used the Hogyoku to help increase my power. I am now the strongest of the Espada."

"You don't look…happy about that."

Grimmjow tossed Ichigo into a wall, creating a crater. "There were drawbacks. My left arm is stuck as it is."

"And you lost all sense of feeling?" Ichigo guessed, standing and pulling his zanpaktō from the wall beside him. He held Zangetsu in front of him. The dull look in Grimmjow's eyes was all the answer he needed.

Off to the side, Nel escaped Tousen and knelt by Ulquiorra. Hitsugaya and Matsumoto did the same. Blood poured from the male Arrancar's wound. Hitsugaya held something out to him. "Thought you might need this."

It was Murcielago. Ulquiorra gratefully took his zanpaktō in his hand, loving the feel of it. It gave him his strength. Slowly, and with a little help from Nel, he got up again. The others all drew their swords.

"Rukia is helping Ichigo," Hitsugaya stated. "We'll have to take care of Aizen."

"Hello, Rangiku," Gin suddenly said, coming up behind them.

Matsumoto narrowed her eyes. "Go. I'll take care of him," she ordered.

"Mmm," Hitsugaya agreed, knowing how personal the fight was going to be. He, Ulquiorra, and Nel left.

...

"Sode no Shirayuki," Rukia called. "The next dance, white ripple."

Ice shot out of her zanpaktō and nailed Grimmjow. He broke free from it with little more than a hand gesture. Half-heartedly, he shot her with a cero, not even bothering to take his eyes off of Ichigo. She put her blade out to protect herself, but the power overwhelmed her and she was pushed back across the floor.

"Grind, Pantera," Grimmjow said in monotone, releasing his zanpaktō.

Ichigo involuntarily gasped, Grimmjow's already high reiatsu spiking. The Arrancar stood there, covered in his bone-like armor. The orange-haired boy readied himself and brought his hand to his face, calling out his Hollow powers.

"Getsuga Tenshou," he called, firing the most powerful attack he had in him. It barely grazed Grimmjow, deflecting off his armor. There was only a scratch.

Grimmjow walked forward slowly, ignoring the barrage of attacks Ichigo fired at him. He charged one cero grande. "I win this time, Ichigo Kurosaki."

...

Rangiku clashed swords with Gin. She scowled fiercely while he continued to smile.

"Traitor," she hissed, a mere four inches from his face.

"I just found a better way," he replied. "You could always join, if you wanted to."

"And betray Soul Society?" she snapped.

"Soul Society is corrupt," he retorted, grin faltering. "We're going to create a new world. A better world."

"Then I'm sorry to say I'll have to stop you," she said. "You were my friend, Gin. I looked up to you. But I can't let you win if it means destroying everything else."

"It's a shame," he muttered. "You would have made a wonderful partner."

"And you would have made a wonderful Captain," she said, looking serious. "Growl, Haineko."

Her blade turned to dust and swirled around Gin. Blood exploded outward and he crumpled to the ground. A tear fell from her eye and onto his pale cheek.

"I'd never want my friend to fall to such injustice," she whispered. "It's better like this, Gin."

...

"Bankai," Hitsugaya said, releasing the final stage of his zanpaktō.

"Declare, Gamuza!" Nel continued. Smoke surrounded her and she transformed into a centaur, holding her green lance skillfully. She glanced toward Ulquiorra. "You shouldn't release," she told him. "You're not strong enough."

"It no longer matters," he ground out. "Bind, Murcielago."

He gasped, pain zapping through his body as he used his first release. Being so weak and still trying to use it made him feel sick, but he'd find the strength to do it. The horns on his head felt heavy after having gone so long without them. Everything felt so different, but he'd have to ignore all of it.

"Going against me now, Ulquiorra?" Aizen taunted, appearing to his left.

Ulquiorra answered with a cero oscuras. Aizen dodged. Nel threw her lance at him, only to have it miss. Tousen, amazingly, caught it and broke it in two. Aizen stabbed her through several times in rapid succession. Before she could even blink, she was on the ground, unable to move.

Furious, Hitsugaya launched several attacks at Aizen, but he couldn't hit the man for his life. Instead, he found himself with a sword stabbed through himself as well. Blood spurted out his mouth and his bankai shattered.

Ulquiorra watched, momentarily frozen, as his younger brother fell to the ground. Aizen took this opportunity to try to skewer Ulquiorra as well, but found his blade stopped by the Arrancar's bare hand.

"You hurt Toshiro," Ulquiorra said so quietly it could barely be heard. "_That_ is unforgivable."

Aizen's ever-present smile left as his zanpaktō was cracked into two pieces. "Impossible," he argued.

Ulquiorra turned, fire in his eyes even though his face remained emotionless. His irises became yellow, the whites turning green. Aizen forced himself to remain impassive as his former Espada transformed yet again. His horns grew larger and his tear-marks widened and darkened. Fur-like material began to grow on his arms and legs. His nails lengthened and his feet became claw-like. His Hollow hole grew bigger, black blood seeping from it. A long, demonic tail flicked out from behind him and wrapped itself around Aizen as if it were a snake ready to squeeze his life out. The energy in the air became so thick, everyone's actions momentarily slowed and they were forced to look at the source. Ulquiorra whispered, "Second release. True Despair."

Aizen didn't know what to do. Ulquiorra could see past his illusions and his zanpaktō was laying in pieces on the ground. Ulquiorra's vice grip on him prevented him from directing his hands to perform kido. The look in Ulquiorra's eyes, hungry and vengeful, was enough to cause more than a little panic. "Tousen!" he called. His ally stood still, not moving a muscle to help him. He looked toward Gin, who was laying in a bloody mess on the floor. "Grimmjow!" The blue-haired Arrancar also made no move to help. He searched for his other Espada's reiatsu, but could only sense little glimmers through Ulquiorra's impossibly dense one. Painfully, all hope and power seemed to be drained from him. As hard as he tried, his own reiatsu couldn't block against this despairing agony.

He took his last breath as Ulquiorra's hand shoved through his chest and tore out his heart. Sousuke Aizen fell to the ground, finally dead.

Ulquiorra Schiffer collapsed next to him.

His hand was stretched toward Toshiro.


	13. Recovery

**13**

**Recovery**

Teal eyes opened to a white room. Hitsugaya sat up, a slight pain in his abdomen. He looked down, seeing bandages. Captain Unohana entered the room. A soft smile was on her face.

"I'm glad to see you are awake."

He looked around dazedly. "What happened?"

"Lieutenant Matsumoto told us everything about your adventure to Hueco Mundo. Aizen is dead."

Hitsugaya looked at her in disbelief. "What? Who killed him?"

"Your accomplice," she said, half-jokingly. "Ulquiorra Schiffer. Unfortunately, it also cost him. He is not very well, but in stable condition."

"What about Matsumoto?" the boy continued.

"She is perfectly fine and is currently in Gin Ichimaru's room. Ichigo and Rukia are also well, but have been placed in recovery. The other Arrancar, Nel Tu, is also being treated."

"You're helping the Arrancar?" he wondered. "I thought…"

"They took part in defeating Aizen, even if it hurt them. We are willing to give them a second chance. Also, I would like to inform you that Captain Ukitake is here to see you."

Hitsugaya nodded. Unohana left, Ukitake taking her place a minute later. He shared the same soft smile that she did.

"How are you, Captain Hitsugaya?"

"Better," Hitsugaya answered.

"I expect you want to hear the full story of what happened?" the man assumed.

"Yes."

"After you were rendered unconscious," Ukitake started, "Ulquiorra attacked Aizen, using a second release form that was previously unknown to anyone other than Ichigo, Orihime, Uryu, and Nel. According to everyone, he was definitely a force to be reckoned with." Ukitake laughed a little here. "He killed Aizen and then collapsed, apparently having overexerted himself. Grimmjow stopped fighting with Ichigo and left Las Noches, unseen after that. Kaeliel Aratashi chose the same fate. Apparently, two Espada by the names of, I believe, Ira and Ari Tenta, came by afterward and offered to help. They said something about having wondered if Aizen was really as powerful as he was said to be and that it was now proven false. They opened Gargantua and helped carry all of you back to the Urahara shop before disappearing as well. Fourth division was sent to cart you all back here to be healed. As for Gin and Tousen; Tousen is being held in a cell and Gin will be joining him as soon as he's healed."

"And everything was told to Soul Society?"

"Yes."

Hitsugaya looked downcast. "I take it I won't be a captain for much longer, then."

"On the contrary," Ukitake said. "The Head Captain is willing to overlook the fact that you harbored Ulquiorra or that you ran an unauthorized mission. Instead, he will be giving an award to everyone who participated and giving the general public an edited version of what went on. Only the captains will ever be told what really occurred."

"What is he planning on doing with the Arrancar?"

"He's thinking of exiling them to the human world, with strictly authorized and escorted visits to Soul Society if need be."

Hitsugaya leaned back on the bed, taking everything in. It seemed to be the best way the situation could have possibly turned out.

"Captain Unohana said that you were free to go as soon as you were awake, but to take it easy seeing as you're still healing," Ukitake informed. "Would you like to see the others?"

…

Orihime leaned on Ulquiorra's bed. He was still unconscious. Strangely enough, his helmet and Hollow hole vanished again. They'd done so the moment he was out of Hueco Mundo. Around his neck hung the charm Urahara had given him to help control his Hollow side.

Hitsugaya came through the door accompanied by Ukitake, temporarily startling her. At first, she was afraid he would tell her something horrible about Ulquiorra, but he instead just stood beside her, gazing at the limp form.

"Orihime," Ukitake addressed, "maybe you should go visit Ichigo and Rukia."

Taking the subtle hint, she left them alone.

Hitsugaya studied the man in front of him; all the familiar facial features, the slight build, everything. Ukitake, after having watched the small boy gaze at his older brother, decided to speak up. It was time to get this out of the way.

"I think I have something that you might want to see." Ukitake pulled a folder from his robe and handed it to Hitsugaya.

"It's a file," Hitsugaya noted, flipping through the pages. A picture fell out. Hitsugaya moved to grab it and froze. Shock fully registered itself on his face. The photo was old and most likely taken by special Shinigami methods. In it were two boys. The older had shaggy dark hair and teal eyes. Next to him was a younger boy, maybe six or seven, with the same teal eyes, but spikier dark hair. The older boy's smile was gentle as he ruffled the hair of the younger.

It was a picture of him and Katashi.

Hitsugaya glanced at Ukitake, who nodded at him. "Keep reading."

Hitsugaya learned that they'd been spiritually gifted. Ukitake had been sent to watch over them. Their father had been killed by a Hollow. Katashi took on a role of responsibility and was seen trying to protect Toshiro from spirits. Then, Katashi died and became a Hollow. About a month later, Toshiro died as well, but was sent to Soul Society. He came to the last page. It was dated today. It said, "Toshiro Hitsugaya became a child prodigy and the youngest captain in history: 10th division. Katashi Hitsugaya was transformed into an Arrancar by Sousuke Aizen and given the name of Ulquiorra Schiffer: Cuatra Espada. He later killed Aizen and was no longer recognized as an enemy by Soul Society."

Hitsugaya looked between the file, Ukitake, and Ulqui-Katashi. He didn't know what to feel. Ulquiorra really _was_ his brother.

"Katashi already knew," Ukitake assured. "Given what Matsumoto told me, I figured you had suspicions as well."

Guiltily, Hitsugaya nodded. He turned back to Katashi, putting a gentle hand on his bare arm. The man stirred. His teal eyes fluttered open.

"Katashi?" Hitsugaya asked.

Ulquiorra allowed a small smile to light his face. "Hello again, Toshiro."

…

It took one day for Ichigo and Rukia to be allowed out, two for Nel. Unohana kept Ulquiorra for longer. According to her, his reiatsu kept rising and dropping at drastic levels and he needed plenty of rest until it evened out. Ulquiorra personally thought it was because they were trying to figure out the complexity of how he'd not only come back from the dead, but regained his Arrancar powers and was able to beat Aizen. To them, it seemed impossible.

Ulquiorra already knew how he'd come back. Ukitake told him that bizarre things could happen because of promises. Ulquiorra had promised Toshiro, _"I'll never leave you, little brother. I promise on my heart."_ When Ulquiorra became a Hollow and advanced into an Arrancar, he lost that heart. But when he stood there, becoming nothing but ashes, reaching out to Orihime, he found it again. Those two people, he realized, were the reason he came back and was the way he was. Yet, he couldn't regret any of it. Only that it hadn't happened sooner.

"You look bored," Toshiro commented, entering the room.

"How long has it been?" Ulquiorra asked.

"Four days."

He tried to act like he didn't care, keeping an emotionless mask, which was a habit he'd retained from being an Espada. It was harder to do around Toshiro. It melted away at the sight of his little brother, alive and safe.

"Interesting," Ulquiorra ended up muttering.

"Unohana is thinking that maybe tomorrow you'll be allowed up, but she doesn't want you roaming fourth division yet. At least not without an escort."

"If I sit still any longer I'm likely to blow something up just out of sheer boredom."

Toshiro stifled a snicker. "I'll talk to her about that. Although, the real reason I was here was to say goodnight. I have to head back to tenth division. I'll be back tomorrow."

"Goodnight, Toshiro," Ulquiorra bid.

"Goodnight, Katashi."

…

True to her word, Unohana allowed Ulquiorra to get out of bed the next day, but forced him to keep the white hospital robe. If he wanted to leave the room, someone trustworthy had to be with him.

Ulquiorra started getting "visitors" around 10 am. Nel was his first. Despite the fact that she knew he did not like to be touched, she burst into the room and hugged the life out of him. His first plan was to wait it out, but after over a minute passed, he muttered, "Could you stop?"

She backed off and had the decency to look embarrassed. "Sorry, I guess I got a little excited. I heard you killed Aizen."

"Everyone helped kill Aizen," Ulquiorra corrected.

"But you were the one who gave the final blow," she said. "Usually, I'm opposed to fighting, but I agree that we definitely had a reason this time. Now we're all free."

"Partially," Ulquiorra added.

Only half hearing him, she kept rambling on. "They said I could live in the human world and I could bring Pesche and Dondochakka with me and we could get jobs and an apartment and we wouldn't have to live in Hueco Mundo anymore. It'd be like we were human."

"It seems you've planned everything out," Ulquiorra noted.

"I have," she confirmed. "I've wanted to do that for years. I'm thinking that we could go back to school and make some friends. Maybe even hang out with Ichigo." A happy tear slipped down her face, but she quickly brushed it away. "Anyway, what are you going to do?"

"I've made no plans."

"You're _boring_," she teased.

The door opened, Orihime standing in it. Nel smiled.

"I think I can leave now," the female Arrancar decided, grinning at the red-head as she left.

"Hi, Ulquiorra," Orihime greeted shyly.

"Woman," he answered.

She came forward slowly. "It looks like you're all better now, huh?"

"I believe so."

"I'm glad…you came back," she admitted.

He examined her face intently. "Is there something you wish to ask?"

She blushed, averting her eyes. "I couldn't help but hear your conversation with Nel. So, you don't know what you're going to do after you get out of here?"

"I've been told that I will most likely be exiled to the human world, if that's what you were wondering."

"Where?"

"How should I know?"

Silence filled the room. Orihime refused to look at him for some reason or another. Ulquiorra sighed.

"I cannot read your mind, woman."

She blushed deeper. "Oh, it's nothing. Um, I'm glad you're okay now. Maybe I'll see you later."

Before she left, Ulquiorra decided he needed to say one last thing. "Thank you…Orihime."

A wide smile split her face and she tried to stop herself from crying. "For what?"

"More than you know."

"Then, you're welcome."

She exited, almost crashing into Toshiro while she ran down the hall, still smiling. The small captain raised an eyebrow as he walked in.

"Should I ask?"

"It was nothing," Ulquiorra assured.

"No matter how much I remember, I don't think I'll ever understand you, Katashi."

"Siblings aren't meant to be understood."

"Speaking of which," Toshiro continued, "I think we should probably keep that between us and Captain Ukitake."

"I agree," Ulquiorra said. "I cannot imagine the reactions we would get if we announced we were related, much less brothers."

"Holy crap," a new voice said. "No way."

As it turned out, several people were coming to visit Ulquiorra at that particular moment. In the front was Shunsui Kyouraku, Ukitake accompanying him. Then there was Byakuya Kuchiki, Rukia by his side. Ichigo stood behind them, having been strictly warned. Renji came because everyone else was coming. Unohana was also with them to personally make sure they did nothing disgraceful or overstress Ulquiorra. She hadn't wanted them all to come at the same time, but the group just grew as they walked down the halls. However, she had given a big "no" to Kenpachi Zaraki and Mayuri Kurotshuchi. Those two were not getting within one hundred feet of the building. She'd thought this meeting would at least test how far Ulquiorra had recovered. Now, she was starting to regret her choice.

The one who had spoken was Ichigo. In reaction, both of the brothers whipped their heads to see the large group. The two greeted them with blank faces, the guilt in their eyes clear. Neither could think of a single reply. In the end, they just averted their gazes to the floor.

"Actually," Shunsui said, the first to speak up, "I can kind of see it. You both have the same eyes and, no offense, but you're both kind of small. Plus, neither of you know how to smile from what I've heard."

Ukitake chuckled. "I take it you were planning to keep it a secret."

"Yes," they muttered, still not looking anyone in the eye.

Ulquiorra decided to get it out of the way and bowed to the little group. "I am Ulquiorra Schiffer, previously known as Katashi Hitsugaya."

Shunsui, easily the best at taking all of this in, said, "So I guess now you're more like Katashi-Ulquiorra Hitsugaya-Schiffer."

Ulquiorra looked at the man in semi-amusement. "That is one way of looking at it, I suppose."

Hitsugaya interrupted. "But I believe that is not the reason all of you are here?"

"Nah," Renji said. "We just wanted to see the guy who defeated Aizen."

"This was just a bonus, Shunsui added.

Ulquiorra looked a little guilty for a moment and tried to hide it. The air in the room started to grow colder.

Laughing, Ukitake suggested, "Why don't we come back later?"

…

Visiting hours were officially over and it was starting to get dark outside. Ulquiorra sat on the edge of the bed, not wanting to go to sleep yet. A knock sounded on the window. Looking over, Ulquiorra saw Ichigo Kurosaki hanging on the ledge. Ulquiorra got up and went over to him.

"Give me one reason I should not push you off," Ulquiorra deadpanned.

"Relax, I'm not here to annoy you," Ichigo replied.

Ulquiorra thought that Ichigo was already failing at that, but nonetheless backed away so that the Shinigami could enter. He hopped off the ledge and leaned against the wall. For a second, he just looked at Ulquiorra, but then he asked, "So you guys are _actually_ related?"

"I believe we've stated that multiple times already," Ulquiorra answered.

"Was that why you freaked out when he got hurt?"

"I did not 'freak out'," the pale man denied.

"You went total Hollow on Aizen."

"Is there a point to this interrogation?" Ulquiorra demanded.

Ichigo shrugged. "I guess I just wanted to say that I sort of understood the feeling."

"How so?"

Ichigo smiled lightly. "I have two little sisters. Yuzu and Karin. They're about Toshiro's age. If they were the ones being hurt like that, I probably would've gone full-Hollow, too."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Because of the look on your face when Renji commented about wanting to see who defeated Aizen."

"…Kurosaki, you are intolerable."

"I get that a lot," Ichigo admitted before jumping back out the window. "See ya."

Still, Ulquiorra felt a little more at peace after that.

Ichigo landed on the ground. Rukia stood by, smirking with arms folded and that all-knowing look on her face.

"I thought you absolutely _despised_ Ulquiorra," she taunted.

"Yeah, well, I guess we have one thing in common."

Her smirk pulled wider. "You know, out of everything your big mouth has run out, there was always one thing I remembered. _'Do you know why big brothers are born first? It's so they can protect the little brothers and sisters that come after them.' _I guess that still applies, huh?"

Ichigo shrugged and walked away. "Whatever."

Rukia looked between the orange-haired boy and Ulquiorra's window. Smiling, she dashed after Ichigo.

…

Toshiro and Katashi/Ulquiorra both stood in front of the Urahara shop clad in gigai. Toshiro had just come to "escort" Ulquiorra back to the human world and make sure everything was taken care of. Now that everything was set, Toshiro was getting ready to leave.

"I'll be sent back in about a month," Toshiro informed.

"Hopefully I will survive that long," Ulquiorra quipped. "It might be difficult with Kurosaki here."

"Just be glad they're not locking you in a permanent gigai anymore."

"It's not as if I will need to do much that would require using any power."

"Then I'll be leaving," Toshiro said.

Urahara fanned himself and rolled his eyes. "Decades of being separated and all you say is; 'Then I'll be leaving.'"

Hitsugaya scowled at the man, but stopped when he felt arms around him. Hesitantly, he returned Katashi's hug.

"Don't go and get yourself killed again," Katashi muttered.

"I think that applies more to you," Toshiro retorted, but smirked. "Goodbye, Katashi."

"Goodbye, Toshiro."

A camera flashed, capturing the moment forever.

…

**Just a quick note.**

_**Venganza**_** means "revenge" in Spanish. Venganza is Kaeliel's zanpaktō.**

_**Iluminai**_** is based off of the word "illuminate"; "iluminar" in Spanish. This is Ira's zanpaktō.**

_**Oscuro**_** is Spanish for "dark." This is Ari's zanpaktō.**

**Well, I hope you enjoyed the story. Thanks to all of you for reading!**

**Update: the sequel is up. It is called "Remembering the Heart."**


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